Our player preview series for the 2026 Clippers continues with one of their new acquisitions, veteran forward John Collins.
Basic Information
Height: 6’9
Weight: 235 pounds
Position: Power Forward
Age: 28
Years in NBA: 8
Stats: 19.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 2.6 turnovers in 30.5 minutes per game across 40 games played (31 starts) on 52.7/39.9/84.8 shooting splits (3.7 3PA, 4.1 FTA) for 62.8 True Shooting
Contract Status: In the final year of a five-year deal originally signed with the Hawks, making $26.58M this season.
Expectations
Collins came to the Clippers with a good amount of fanfare – Clippers’ fans have wanted the team to trade for him for at least three years. A large, athletic forward, Collins is a type of player the Clippers have not had in a long time (since Blake Griffin, really, though there are similarities to Montrezl Harrell), and fans have been hankering for a more physical starting forward next to Kawhi. Collins is coming off a couple seasons in Utah where he fell off the radar a bit after being a higher-profile player in Atlanta. On the last year of a five-year deal that he signed back when he seemed a key part of Atlanta’s future, Collins is at a career crossroads.
At first, it was expected that Collins would start at power forward. However, the Bradley Beal addition – and the instant reporting that he would likely start – changed that. With another offense-first player in the starting unit, the thinking shifted to Derrick Jones Jr. starting, and after preseason, it seems all but set in stone that Collins will come off the bench. Collins will still play a lot (I’d say 20-30 minutes most games), and I think reasonably can be expected for something like 14 points, 5 rebounds, and other ancillary stats while bringing some highlight-reel dunks to the Clips.
Strengths
John Collins is a well-rounded offensive player that technically qualifies as a three-level scorer even though he’s not a traditional creator. Collins has honed his three-point shot over the past couple years and is a reliable marksman from distance. While not a prolific midrange shooter, he’s more than capable of rising up from 16 feet. And, most importantly for the Clippers, Collins is a dominant rim attacker that is thunderous as a roll man and capable of finishing over and through even stout defenders. His best years were eating in the pick and roll alongside Trae Young in Atlanta, and there’s no reason he can’t duplicate some of that success with Harden and Chris Paul in Los Angeles.
Collins is also a solid rebounder that will consistently contribute on both the defensive and offensive glass. He’s not a dominant presence, but when playing at the four next to traditional big men like Ivica Zubac and Brook Lopez he will help the Clippers be (hopefully) a very good rebounding team. Things are a little trickier if you ask him to play small-ball center, but the Clippers probably won’t be doing that much.
Weaknesses
Collins is not really a playmaker for others, nor a shot creator. Despite scoring over 21 points per game earlier in his career and averaging 19 last season, Collins is a play-finisher that does not have an advanced handle or passing game. That’s fine for his archetype of player, to be clear, but the Clippers can’t force feed him the ball (especially out on the perimeter) to get easy buckets. If the Clippers’ second unit needs a go-to bucket getter, it will probably have to be through a stagger with one of Kawhi, Harden, or Beal. That lack of passing can be frustrating at times as well – there will be plays he has someone open and either misses the pass or is a beat too late on making it.
Collins is also an inconsistent defensive player. While certainly not awful (he’s just too large and physical to be that bad), there are times he can miss rotations or be a step slow in help. When playing on-ball, despite his athleticism, Collins is not great at switching out onto smaller guys, instead being a better option on larger and more physical players. There are times he can really lock in defensively (he was awesome on that end in the Hawks’ run to the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals), but that can make the missteps on a game-to-game basis more frustrating.
Summary
John Collins might be my biggest x-factor of the Clippers’ season (outside of health and age-related concerns). If he’s able to tap into his role player skills and be a force for the Clippers as a roll-man, rebounder, and physical presence on defense, he can offer traits that no other Clipper can and will be a huge part of their season. There’s also a scenario where he does not do those things and is more of an empty calorie scorer that is less essential when push comes to shove. For the Clippers’ and Collins’ sake, I hope he’s able to rejuvenate his career in LA after a couple quiet seasons in Utah. I think Collins could be really, really good for this team, but it’s all up to him.
