The Chicago Bulls had an underwhelming trade deadline, to put it mildly.
The acquisitions the Bulls got back outside of their draft pick, have to prove they are worth trading away such a valuable asset in Zach LaVine.
One of the Bull’s new acquisitions is ready to get on the court and is looking to bring some much-needed rim protection to the Bulls.
The newly acquired center looks to ‘play hard’
Zach Collins was one of the players acquired by the Bulls in the three-team trade they made, which sent LaVine to the Kings and Collins coming over from the Spurs. The 27-year-old will look to bring more defense to the Bulls frontcourt, with Collins saying he’s always ready to ‘play hard’.
“Zach adds more defense to our frontcourt”
The first-round pick (10th overall) out of Gonzaga, has played in 36 games for the Spurs this season, averaging 11.8 minutes a game. In those 38 games, Collins was hidden in the shadows while on the Spurs, with Victor Wembanyama receiving the bulk of the minutes.
Collins could provide the Bulls with another shot blocker, averaging 0.4 blocks on the season and 0.7 blocks for his career. The 6-11 big man has also proven to be a capable scorer, averaging 7.9 points for his career and 4.6 points this season. Now with the Bulls, Collins should have an uptick in his minutes to see what he is capable of.
Collins should debut soon for the Chicago Bulls
Collins has not appeared in a game yet for the Bulls, but according to K.C. Johnson, two out of three players from the trade should debut against the Warriors tomorrow.
“Billy Donovan said he’s hopeful to get at least two if not all three of the new guys some minutes vs. Golden State. Some will depend on Lonzo Ball’s status (illness) and Jalen Smith’s (personal reasons.) Talen Horton-Tucker and Dalen Terry also remain limited due to injuries”
If Collins can live up to his words, and provide the Bulls with a rim protector, then they might have done a decent job in bringing back talent in the trade.
