While playing the backup role for Gonzaga, Zach Collins turned some heads. The freshman power forward showed some dominant skills in his limited time in Spokane, Washington. Gonzaga had a dominant run in the Ncaa Tournament, getting to the championship but ultimately losing to North Carolina. Gonzaga didn't get a chance to show off Collins' strengths as much as they needed to, partly because Collins was young and inexperienced, and they already had a quality big starting.
Height: 7'0"
Weight: 230 pounds
College averages: 10.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg
Strengths
Zach Collins showed off a lot of skill while being a secondary option at Gonzaga.
There's a reason why Collins is being mock drafted in the top 10 while he only played 17 minutes per game in college.
Collins' strengths start with his abilities on offense. Collins has a wide variety of offensive skills to use on any team. He has good post moves, the ability to stretch out a mid-range shot or bring it out as far as the three-point line.
Collins has a very explosive first step and can take contact just as well as any big in the draft. In their game against South Carolina, Collins dominated against the tough contact given by the Carolina defense.
Collins only took 21 three point shots through the course of the season, but he hit 47 percent of those. He is an effective player, and his numbers don't say enough about how good he is and how good he can be.
Defensively, Collins can come out and defend around the perimeter. He's got a great timing for shot-blocking, and he can keep up with guards on a switch on the perimeter.
Weaknesses
The biggest weakness for Collins is his inexperience. Most thought he'd stay another year in college, where he could really show off his skills.
This is working to his advantage, though, as most teams saw a glimpse of a really good player. With just his 17 minutes a game, that lack of experience is a bit of a worry for any NBA team. Collins is a project if you draft him, but he shows a lot of promise.
The other big weakness for him is the competition Gonzaga played. Other than in the NCAA tournament, Gonzaga only played one tournament team in their conference, and this brings some worry to how good he'd be against real basketball players.
Collins has a lot to prove and needs a lot of exposure to see where he's at in his basketball skills.
Collins is no doubt a project but based off the glimpses that you see in his game, he can really be a difference maker in the NBA.
