Inside The Spurs

Spurs Season-In-Review: Zach Collins 'Got His Confidence Back' As Starter

February's trade deadline saw Zach Collins get extended minutes with the absence of Jakob Poeltl. The center took that in stride en route to the most productive season of his career, and carved out a place in the Spurs' rotation ahead of next season.

Matt Guzman

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San Antonio Spurs center Zach Collins spent a total of 540 days on the injured reserve while recovering from an ankle injury requiring surgery. 

Despite being unable to suit up, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich saw the center's potential, and wanted to work him in the rotation. 

And it paid off. 

"He's been out for two years, and he's been fantastic," Popovich said of Collins. "He's just grown, getting back to where we thought he could be, and he deserves a lot of credit on both ends of the court for what he's doing."

Collins notched 10 double-doubles on the season and his best game came against the Pistons in his first game as a starter following the Spurs' dealing of center Jakob Poeltl. He tallied 29 points and 11 rebounds in Detroit, and kickstarted what would become the most productive season of his career, though that wasn't the case right away.

"When I came back, I wanted to jump straight into an NBA game," Collins said. "I thought I wouldn't need any games to get the rust off ... but then I got into an Austin [Spurs] game and realized I needed more time." 

It wasn't long before Collins found his footing, and the center only improved when he was named the starter, averaging 16.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in the 19 games following the trade deadline. Collins credits his improvement with his aggression on the court.

"I've been being more aggressive," he said. "I'm taking more shots when I'm open, and just getting myself ready to go ... [and] if I want to continue to help our team win ... I just have to keep playing my game."

Now, the 25-year-old is set to return as the Spurs center, and Popovich is liking everything he sees from Collins.

"[Zach] has steadily improved his game," Popovich said. "He's got his confidence back, and he's playing very well for us."

Next season, Collins will enter the third year of his contract with the Spurs, set to become a free agent in 2024, but will look to once again make an impact — especially if San Antonio goes without Victor Wembanyama in the NBA Draft.

Either way, the center has gone from an under-appreciated role player, to a key piece of the Spurs' rebuild, bringing both on-court production and veteran leadership to San Antonio, and he isn't done growing. 

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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