The last two-plus years of Zach Collins’ life have been filled with surgeries, rehab, and basketball games that are consumed from the bench while wearing street clothes. Collins, then a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, hasn’t played in a game since Aug. 15, 2020 due to injuries to his ankle and foot, and before that, Collins spent months on the sideline with a labrum injury that required surgery, too. Now with the San Antonio Spurs, Dime sat down with Collins to learn about his road back to basketball. You can read Part 1 right here and Part 2 right here.
So let’s start looking forward. I know Pop said the expectation is for you to get back sometime after Christmas. We’re starting to get to some time after Christmas, what does it feel like going, “Yo, I’m going to be playing in a basketball game soon for the first time in a minute”?
It’s exciting, man. I’m pumped, it’s gonna be amazing to just finally get back to what I do and who I am, to be able to come home after playing a game and not just watching it, it’s going to be a good feeling. I’m a bit anxious, I’m a bit nervous, because I want to go out there and just be great from the start, and I’ll put a lot of pressure on myself, in that sense. But I want to get out there, I want to feel it, I want to know what I need to work on or continue to work on. I want to know, like, as much as I’ve worked on my body, not just my ankle, but just getting in shape, getting stronger mentally, growing in certain areas. I want to go out there and see what it feels like, to see if it’s different. I just want to feel it.
You’re always nervous before it’s something that you haven’t done, or you haven’t done in a long time, and I think that’s where I’m at. I think I’m nervous but the excitement definitely outweighs it. It’s been so long that I want to get out there and play. We’re right around the corner.
And you did one of the biggest things a human can do in the midst of all this, which is you packed up your stuff and you moved to a new place. How have things been for you, on and off the court in San Antonio, as you’re getting a chance to live there and experience the place and experience the Spurs without that added pressure of playing basketball games three times a week?
Yeah, it’s been great. Like we talked about, the weather here is great — I get sunlight, it’s more like home in Las Vegas, where we get sun all the time. So, that’s great for me, I think it’s great for my body, as well. I was able to get a good spot up here. The team is great, we’re all kind of similar in age, not all the same age, but we’re all kind of in that younger generation in the NBA. So, getting along with guys has been pretty easy. The way we play here is very exciting, because we share the ball so much, and we all play off of each other. There’s just so much movement and the pace we play at is enticing. So, I think all those things put together have been great. And I’m pretty simple — if basketball is going well, or in my case, rehab was going well, then life is good.
Yeah, and just from a pure basketball perspective, it’s almost a blessing in disguise that you get a little bit more of an opportunity to just learn and eventually know everything you need to do from the second you get on the court, no?
For sure. I think the play style I’ve been able to watch is something I’ll be more prepared for coming back. You always want a training camp just to get out there and have those reps and actually be out there. But I think that me being able to watch and me picturing myself out there in certain situations will help that transition a little bit more. And yeah, I think as long as I know the plays, I think I’ll be alright.
Yeah, and if not, Pop is going to let you know that things are not right, I’m sure.
Yes he will. [laughs]
What’s it been like getting to pick Pop’s brain, learning from Pop, that sort of thing. Again, it’s all part of this ramp up, you’re getting to learn from the best coach in NBA history.
It’s incredible, man. I had to pinch myself a couple times, just because, being in the NBA is what it is — my rookie year, playing against the guys that I’ve watched growing up was insane, but then I got over that. And then you get to play for a guy that, again, is an all-time great coach, it’s pretty surreal. When it’s all said and done, to be able to say that I played for this organization and played for Pop is going to be a great thing to say. So, he’s been great, the way he coaches, the way he sees things, the way he speaks, the way he … one thing I do appreciate about him is, he definitely makes it about us, he makes it so when we play another team, we need to know the scout, we need to know what their players do, their tendencies. But even more importantly, we got to play our game, and we have to play to our strengths, and we can’t get caught up in what they’re doing so much that we forget to play our game, and we adjust them. He’s definitely more like, “if we do our job, and we play the game we’re supposed to play, we’ll be in a good spot.” I appreciate how we focus so much on what we’re doing as a team, and I think that gives us a lot of confidence going into each game.
So, last couple of questions. Your first game in 16-plus months, you’ve been near basketball, but you haven’t been in basketball. Do you feel like your appreciation for the game, for being an NBA player, for yourself, personally, just like things in your life, do you feel like all of that has grown knowing that the thing that you’ve always wanted to do has been taken away from you?
Yeah, it’s definitely been like, every day I wake up and I’m just excited. Even when I have bad days of on-court, or like, we’re playing 3-on-3, or I’m going to practice and I mess up, I’m just happy that I messed up. You know what I mean? Like, I’m just happy that I have the chance to actually be out there and doing something besides lifting weights and balancing and stuff with my ankle. That part of this whole process is definitely going to be something that will help with everything going forward, I think, just having that appreciation, and when I have those bad nights, or I have those days where I don’t want to get up to go to practice, I can go back to 15 months of days where I wasn’t allowed to do any of this, and that could push me a little bit. It’s a good point, I definitely want to continue to appreciate the game the way I am now.
And then my final two questions, one, do you have a message for Blazers fans, the ones who have been in your corner supporting you through all of this, and now they’re doing that while you’re suiting up for another organization?
Blazer fans, I loved my time, every second of my time in Portland. And the one thing that has been even the bigger gut punch is that I wasn’t able to give them more. I just wish I could have, because I know I could have given them so much more and these injuries held me back. They were great, I loved playing in front of them, I loved the support they gave us every night. I just wish I could have given them more. But again, the support they continue to give me — I continue to hear from people in that organization all the time, I made a lot of great friends, I met a lot of great people while I was in Portland. And those people continue to support me and I’m super thankful for it.
And finally, do you have a message for Spurs fans who are going to see Zach Collins play basketball in their jersey for the first time soon?
I’m just finally excited to get out there and hear them cheer for me, and I’m giving them something to cheer for. I’m going to come in with a lot of energy, I’m swinging for the fences when I come back. So, here we go.