SAN ANTONIO — Zach Collins is finally healthy, and in his with the San Antonio Spurs showed the many and varied ways he can help his new team on the court.
Collins is a 6'11" Swiss Army knife with every tool you could reasonably hope for at that size, and possesses a veteran feel for when and how to use those tools to maximize his effectiveness as a complimentary piece.
Coming off the bench as the backup center behind Jakob Poeltl, Collins packed a lot of quality and variety into his 13 minutes. He was everywhere, from crashing the glass and competing on defense to screening, spacing the floor, hunting for mismatches, and finding his teammates. He finished with 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
It was encouraging play for him period, and it was stellar considering he hadn't played an NBA game in a year and a half due to an ankle injury that took a frustratingly long time to heal.
Finally healthy, Collins enters the rotation for a San Antonio team that has struggled with center depth as they push for a play-in spot in the West.
Pick-and-pop three
Basketball's oldest play optimized for the modern game, the pick and pop is a simple but effective action that the Spurs haven't run much of since the departure of LaMarcus Aldridge.
A big man who can shoot provides oodles more space to operate than one who doesn't need to be guarded outside of the paint, and Dejounte Murray figures it out quickly.
Collins sets a hard screen up top and forces his defender to switch onto Murray, who attacks the opening and draws a double team before passing back to his big man at the arc. Collins fires with no hesitation, and the career 33% three-point shooter hits.
Pick-and-pop screen assist
Murray ran the same play the next time down the floor, and the recent reminder of Collins' shooting ability couldn't have hurt the freshly-minted All-Star point guard.
Houston's center can't afford to drop into the paint, and with the screen coming, Murray's defender positions himself to fight over the top. Murray reads it perfectly and crosses to the left, leaving both defenders in the lurch.
From there Murray has a variety of options, but opts to switch hands mid-air for a lefty jam.
Collins' shot allows San Antonio to play "5-out" basketball, which is exactly what it sounds like. If everyone can shoot, nobody has to stand inside the three-point arc and bring a help defender into a driving lane.
Pick-and-roll mismatch
One of the easiest ways to create an advantage in basketball is to make a small guy guard your big guy and throw him the ball on the block for BBQ chicken or a double team.
With the floor spaced, Collins sets a pick for Derrick White and forces a switch. With a guard now defending him, he dives to the basket as White kicks to the corner to set up an easy post entry pass.
As all that's happening, the center guarding White is watching the ball. Derrick White sees the back of the slower big man's head and smartly accepts the invitation to cut to the basket.
Collins gets the ball, draws all the attention because of his size advantage, and tucks in a pass to White for a layup.
Inverted pick and roll
Everything has been pretty textbook to this point, but the Spurs busted out an inverted 5-1 pick and roll to hunt another switch. Collins dribbles with his back turned near the arc as Murray sets a hard screen to force a switch.
From there, Doug McDermott lifts from the corner and takes a dribble-handoff with the potential for a clean look at a three. With smaller defenders scrambling around him, Collins cuts to the hoop and gets an easy two points.
5-out motion
Again, look at the spacing. Collins takes a pass up top from Tre Jones, who cuts away.
The Spurs make like Rob Dyrdek and get flarey, setting flare screens on opposite sides of the court to send shooters into each corner.
Collins' defender has to check him 22 feet from the basket, and with all five guys outside the arc, all it takes is one good off-ball cut and no help defender will get there in time.
Collins may not be unicorn status just yet, but he certainly isn't a one trick pony. Adaptability is his most dangerous weapon, and if he continues to play the way he did in his debut, it will help provide flexible but stable structure to bring the Spurs to a higher level.