SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - OCTOBER 02: John Collins #20 of the Utah Jazz speaks during the Utah Jazz Media Day at Zions Bank Basketball Campus on October 02, 2023 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Did new Utah Jazz forward John Collins takes subtle dig at past teammates?
The Utah Jazz seem lucky to have John Collins.
The Utah Jazz landing John Collins was huge this offseason. For the most part, the focus has been around how Collins will upgrade the team’s starting five, and will therefore strengthen the bench with Kelly Olynyk now being a key rotation guy. That’s a huge double-whammy for the Jazz to deploy.
And while Collins will certainly improve the team’s spacing game, as well as give the Jazz arguably the best-rebounding frontcourt in the NBA, what Collins also brings apparently is the right demeanor. Collins won’t be “the man” in Utah, that will likely still be Lauri Markkanen, and Collins seems okay with that. Not only that, but he seems to like his situation and his teammates.
Speaking during the Jazz’s media day, Collins spoke glowingly about the team, and his new teammate’s willingness to get everyone involved, saying (via Andy Larsen);
I’d say the one thing that has surprised me is the lack of ego here. It’s refreshing to have a group of guys that truly emphasize playing team basketball and that want to do so.
Now, is that a shot at Collins’ former teammate Trae Young? Well, we don’t like to interrupt what’s said, all we can do is tell you what’s said, and no mention of Young ever came up. But, you wouldn’t be the only one to hear that clip and wonder who he was talking about.
Because Collins’ is implying that at some point in his pro or amateur career, he played on a selfish team, with players more worried about getting their shots than playing team ball. We know that’s what he’s saying, Collins just isn’t saying any names.
So it’s up to us to draw our own conclusions. It’d be fair to assume it was a dig at Young, as he has a reputation for being a selfish player who doesn’t involve others in the offense. Former NBA coaches like George Karl have gone as far as to call him selfish.
Then there was a report from a few years back where players were accusing one another of being too selfish, weren’t putting in the work, and weren’t being held accountable. Was Young one of those players? We can’t say, but when it comes to the “selfish label and Young, to paraphrase Doctor Doofenshmirtz; it’s weird that it keeps coming up.
So was Collins taking a veiled shot at Young? We can’t say for sure.
