CJ McCollum Praises Zach Collins’ ‘Fearless’ Defensive Effort

Nik Stauskas might have stolen the show in the Trail Blazers victory over the Lakers, but Zach Collins’ solid defensive play wasn’t lost on his teammates. The second-year big man recorded six blocks, and closed out the game as starting center Jusuf Nurkic watched from the bench.

After the game CJ McCollum gushed about Collins’ superb night to NBC Sports Northwest’s Jamie Hudson.

“Zach was great. He protected the basket. He was fearless. He’s that guy at the rim every time contesting shots, altering shots, blocking shots and then allowing us to get out and run in transition off the rebound. I think he does a great job of contesting and we’ve talked about him being one of the better defenders in the NBA and he’s showing why he’s an elite defender.”

Collins will look to follow up his strong regular season debut when the Blazers host the Spurs on Saturday.