Portland Trail Blazers
Breakout candidate: Zach Collins
Whether you believe Zach Collins should’ve been a top 10 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft is neither here nor there. Entering his third season with the Portland Trail Blazers, he’ll be tasked with helping keep the fort down until the return of Jusuf Nurkic. After the addition of Hassan Whiteside, it does help alleviate some of the pressure.
And, sometimes, that’s when players play their best. And that’s what I’m calling from Zach Collins, who has shown flashes of brilliance so far in his young career but hasn’t really been able to put it all together on a consistent basis. That will change this season, as Collins continues to grow and develop as a modern-day NBA big.
Next to Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, he’s not going to put up gaudy numbers but he’s going to evolve into the consistent big that the Blazers have needed ever since they lost Nurkic. Simply put, he’ll be a nice mix to Whiteside.