Jazz F John Collins Sends Message to Fans in Salt Lake City

New Jazzman John Collins expectations will be high in his first year in Salt Lake City.

It appears newly-acquired Utah Jazz power forward John Collins is starting to settle in after an eventful summer. The former Atlanta Hawk sent a message to his fans at Salt Lake City International Airport earlier this week.

“Salt Lake, what’s good, John Collins checking in here, just got to Salt Lake ready to put in some work,” Collins said. “Ready to show you all my heart, you guys. You already know what time it is. Take note!”

John Collins touches down in Salt Lake City…#TakeNote
pic.twitter.com/9PnquBtohZ

— Utah Jazz On SI (@JazzOnSI) September 11, 2023

Utah being able to lock down a playoff spot could hinge on how well Collins adapts to his new situation. The 2022-23 season was a down year for Collins, but a change of scenery may be just what the doctor ordered for the Jazz starting power forward. 

The good news for Jazz fans is at only 25 years old, Collins is a proven commodity in the NBA. Fans may remember that he's only two years removed from being arguably the second or third-best player on a team that played in the Eastern Conference Finals. Collins is also coming from a situation very similar to what current Jazzman Lauri Markkanen dealt with the year before his All-Star breakout season in Utah.

Playing in a system with a ball-dominant point guard in Darius Garland didn't bode well for Markkanen in his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Markkanen averaged 14.5 ppg in the season before coming to Salt Lake City, averaging 11.5 shot attempts a game. Those numbers are respectable, but Markkanen showed he was much more than a third or fourth option when given the opportunity.

Collins' numbers were similar in his last year with the Hawks. Sharing the court with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, Collins put up 13.1 ppg on just ten attempts per contest. Indeed, there’ll be more volume in Salt Lake City, but is Collins up to the task?

One primary concern is the finger injury Collins was forced to play through last year. The damage is called a "boutonnière deformity." 

Collins shot a career-low 29.2% from long distance last year. It’s safe to say that the lingering finger injury significantly contributed to that. How the finger heals will be something to watch as we inch closer to the regular season.

Despite the injury concerns, the Collins trade could pay big dividends if he can even duplicate half of what Markkanen did last year. That said, one thing for sure is that expectations from Utah’s front office will be high due to the $25 million dllar cap hit that has been taken for the 2023-24 season.

Answers on how the trade pans out are coming soon, with the season only six weeks away.

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