When John Collins arrived in Utah last year, the Jazz were expected to add a veteran player with postseason experience to help them reach their goal. Collins helped lead Atlanta to the Eastern Conference three seasons ago, a run that surprised many except those within the Hawks locker room.
"Coming out and competing every night, that's where it started," Collins said that year. "Knowing what we can expect from each other, expecting to win. … Those types of mindsets were indicators to me and showed that we were approaching where we needed to be. When that mental mindset of just coming in prepared, understanding what we had to do at a minimum to win, that's when I knew we took the next step to become a winning team."
The Jazz's plan this year was to return to the postseason after a one-year absence, using Collins' veteran leadership from that East Finals run as a guide. However, that plan never panned out, and the Jazz fell short of the playoffs. Ironically, Collins' experience throughout his career became even more valuable as he helped the young Jazz navigate the season's struggles.
"It's definitely a bigger responsibility than I'm used to being a younger veteran," he said. "I have to pour more into the young guys, do more than I have in the past while not having that cushion of having guys 32+ to rely on their experience. It's definitely been a little different for me but again, just trying to take that upon myself and give what I can."
After a down season with the Hawks, Collins arrived in Utah in July looking for a fresh start — and that's what he got. He finished the season averaging 15.1 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, playing 68 games with 66 starts. He found his stroke from beyond the arc, shooting 37.1% from three on 3.4 attempts per game, up from 29.2% showing the previous season. He led the Jazz with 24 double-doubles.
Although he went through a midseason shooting slump, Collins bounced back in February and March. He averaged 17.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and shot 42.5% from three.
"I can't really pinpoint it too much. .. I feel like basketball is a game of ups and downs as an imperfect game, so sometimes certain shots aren't falling," he said. "I feel like I had a little bit of a three-point shooting slump midway through the season that I didn't like. … I feel like me finding my flow just came naturally, I got back into the gym, I got extra work in, I feel like all the extra hard work paid off."
Despite the Jazz falling short of their goal, Collins doesn't view the season as a failure. Having been in this position before, he sees it as another step in their journey.
"If I could sum it up in maybe a couple words, I'd say progression," is how he described the season. "This is what happens when you're a young team in the league trying to find your way. We're trying to develop our young guys and give them a chance to succeed while utilizing the pieces that we have. Transition, that's part of the league. I don't know if I have a phrase or a couple of words to sum it up. … It's a transition period that we're trying to figure out."
"This league is brutal. … It waits for nobody," he added. "Regardless if you're in a rebuild or you're a team trying to compete for a championship, this league is unforgiving. … It doesn't care if you have a team full of rookies that you're trying to develop. That's what I figured out… the league is harsh when you're rebuilding and when you're a young team."
Heading into next season, Collins remains optimistic about the future. He sees what the Jazz are building and believes in the potential of the young core.
"We can be really good," he said. "For me, playing and winning, playing high-level basketball is fun. … It's something I always dreamed of doing at this level. Winning at this level makes the game a lot more enjoyable — not only for the fans but for ourselves, for everybody. That's the big thing for me, seeing how talented we are, seeing how young we are, it gives me a lot of hope to understand that we have a very bright future, we just need to continue to craft that and mold that into a complete winning culture. It takes time, but again, I'm excited because I like what I see."
While the potential for the Jazz may be there, Collins also knows that his game can expand more — both mentally and physically.
"I always pride myself on my mental toughness. … yet there's room for me to grow in the mind," he said. "For me, in terms of me and my patience, my vigilance, my ability to understand what I'm seeing, I feel like those areas are where I've grown. … I feel like I just confirmed to myself that I'm as mentally tough as I think or feel like I am."