Paul Garcia: “He’s been out for a long time, I mean a really long time. He needs his rhythm to come back to feel comfortable.” – Coach Pop on Zach Collins playing in the G-League as he gets ready to return from his injury. Pop says he was just watching some of Collins’ game with Austin
More on Zach Collins Injury
Tom Orsborn: Doug McDermott says Zach Collins' #Spurs teammates “couldn’t be happier for him” as he prepares to get his first “live reps” in a game setting, albeit in Austin, since 8-13-20, during the pandemic restart in Orlando. “It’s been a long journey for him,” Doug said.
Tom Orsborn: McDermott says Collins will add toughness, athleticism, defense...and leadership: "He’s a great leader for how young he is... We have had him in the locker room all year, and he’s just a great guy to be around."
Paul Garcia: Zach Collins has been sent to the G-League on assignment, a sign he’s close to returning Tre Jones out vs PHX (H&S protocols) Wieskamp, Cacok with Austin
Tom Orsborn: Zach Collins on how he’s managed to stay upbeat after all the bad luck he’s experienced injury-wise: “It’s what I like to do, play basketball, so the motivation is to get back and do what I love. I feel at home when I am playing basketball. It’s foreign when I’m not.” #Spurs
Tom Orsborn: Pop says the last he’s heard from medical staff is that the timeline for Zach Collins (ankle) to return is “after Christmas.” He added that he’s not sure what that means exactly. But it is a positive report, though, for a young player who has been through a lot injury-wise.
Portland Trail Blazers forward/center Zach Collins underwent a second revision surgery today to repair a left medial malleolus stress fracture, it was announced by president of basketball operations Neil Olshey.
Collins underwent previous ankle surgeries on September 1, 2020, and December 30, 2020. Collins is out indefinitely. His status will be updated accordingly.
Jusuf Nurkic: Damn bro you got this!!! @Zach Collins 🙏🏻🙏🏻❤️
Nobody is rooting harder for a long playoff run by the Trail Blazers than Zach Collins. The forward on Friday said his surgically-repaired left ankle is “healing like it should,” but he ruled out a regular-season return to the court.
“The only way I could come back is if we are in the playoffs,” Collins told The Athletic. “That’s just how my timeline has worked out. When we (had a second surgery) it was a four-to-six month thing, and we all knew it was going to be closer to six months for me.”
“I want to come back this season, and I’m not counting it out,” Collins said. “But I’m not guaranteeing myself coming back. I’m a competitor and I want to come back and play, so that’s my goal, but I’m not putting a lot of pressure on myself to make that happen.”
The 6-foot-11 Collins was a key piece to the Blazers’ plans entering this season, as they hoped his length, toughness and defensive acumen would give their frontline depth and versatility. But in the second week of training camp, he felt discomfort in his surgically repaired ankle, and scans revealed another fracture in mid-December, prompting the Dec. 30 surgery. “I’m getting scans every three-to-four weeks now, just to make sure that everything is moving along as it should,” Collins said. “I always say this: even last time when it went wrong before we knew it went wrong everything was looking how it should, so … you know, that’s how it’s looking right now.”
I’m being told the team is gaining hope that Collins could return for the playoffs, if not before the regular season is over on May 16. He had a second surgery on his left ankle on Dec. 30, and Collins said the typical recovery time is 4-to-6 months. The first time he underwent the surgery — after the Orlando bubble — the team targeted his return for mid-January, or 4 1/2 months. He was on schedule for that until he started to feel pain at the 3 1/2 month mark, which was revealed to be a refracture of the same area.
The hope is that this surgery better fuses the break, and I’ve been told the signs so far are encouraging and that a four-month return isn’t out of the question. However, considering Collins has said he doesn’t want to rush back, I would bet the end of May is more realistic than the beginning of May.
Entering his fourth season in the league, Portland Trail Blazers big man Zach Collins was set to make his return mid-January following surgery on his left ankle.E That first surgery was performed on Sept. 1. But then after a setback, his second ankle surgery which the Blazers called a revision surgery, was scheduled for Dec. 30. Now, just over a month out, Collins says there's no timeline on his return, but he expects the rehab process to take four to six months. That could mean Collins may be back at the very end of the season or ready to go for playoffs.
Aaron J. Fentress: "I just really feel bad for Zach." - Blazers coach Terry Stotts Portland Trail Blazers’ Zach Collins undergoes second ankle surgery, out indefinitely @Ripcity oregonlive.com/blazers/2020/1…
According to reports, Collins fractured his medial malleolus, which is the inside of his shin bone (i.e., tibia) at his ankle. When looking at your own ankle, it’s that rounded bony protrusion that sticks out a little bit above your shoe. The bad news for Collins & the Trail Blazers is that the tibia is a weight bearing bone, which means getting clearance to play may take a lot longer than if it were a non-wearing bone.
Unfortunately, stress fractures are one of the more serious sports injuries as they often involve prolonged return times and high risk of re-injury. They occur at a rate of 20% in high-level athletes with about 90% occurring in the lower limb. How bad the stress fracture is depends on where it is and type, with Collins’ injury being one of the less common locations. Regardless, stress fractures are categorized as “high risk” or “low risk” based on how they heal.
“High risk” stress fractures can be much more problematic compared to “low risk”, as the break can get longer and/or take longer to heal. “Low risk” stress fractures are almost always managed successfully using conservative treatment (i.e., physical therapy and no surgery), while those that are “high risk” are more difficult to diagnose and may require surgery. Thus, it’s fairly obvious that Collins’ stress fracture may be categorized as “high risk” given the Trail Blazers’ announcement that he will undergo season-ending surgery. Regardless, injury severity can be graded based on changes seen on imaging (e.g., x-ray, MRI), which are often used to plan treatment, prognosis and when an athlete will return to action.
Jay Allen: Terry Stotts says Zach Collins is still with the team in Orlando. Surgery date is TBD.
Adrian Wojnarowski: Portland’s Zach Collins will require season-ending ankle surgery, sources tell ESPN.
Jamie Hudson: Blazers Injurt Report for Game 1 vs. Lakers: Zach Collins (left ankle inflammation) and F Nassir Little (dehydration recovery) are out; CJ McCollum (vertebral fracture) is available for Tuesday's game.
Collins was originally hoping to return in March and he’s pushed himself through rehabilitation sessions and individual basketball workouts throughout the coronavirus crisis, so the news was not surprising. But for it to finally become official was momentous. “When my doc came in and said my shoulder feels like a normal shoulder, that I was good to go, it was like a weight was lifted,” Collins said. “I tell people all the time that he whole rehab process isn’t difficult. It’s just very long and boring. The worst part is not being on the road with the team, not being around them every day, feeling disconnected. It’s weird. Odd. So, mentally, it’s a big struggle. I’m just super excited to be back and know that I can do everything again.”
This has put Collins in a tough spot, as the one thing left on his list for rehab was full contact, basketball action. In an interview for Trail Blazers Courtside, the Blazers' big man gave Rip City an update on his rehab. I definitely think I am on the right track. Right now it's tough because the last part of my development was playing and we can't play right now. I'm just trying to simulate that as much as I can right now without going through contact with other players. It feels really good. Like I said before,.I haven't really had any setbacks in my rehab. From day one it's all been pretty smooth, it's just a long process. But it feels great. I'm really happy with where I'm at. - Zach Collins
Everywhere you looked, there were positive signs in regard to injured players. There was Zach Collins, going through on-court drills with a basketball -- shooting short jumpers and even left-handed layups -- as he recovers from a torn labrum. No full workout with the team yet, but on the court and even shooting with his (injured) left arm. At the other end of the court, there was CJ McCollum working out with coaches -- running full speed as he shot and went through defensive drills -- as he recovers from a sprained ankle.
Zach Collins didn’t know it at the time, but that October night in Dallas, when he bowed his head and nearly cried in an empty locker room, his life was beginning to change for the better. The Trail Blazers starting power forward had just learned that his dislocated left shoulder, suffered in the third quarter of the team’s third game, would keep him out weeks, if not months — and if that didn’t take hold of his Adam’s Apple, the next few days would. For the next six days, he would wrestle with MRI results, second opinions, third opinions, and decisions of whether to have surgery or just rehabilitate the shoulder. He ultimately opted for surgery to repair a torn labrum, and he is not expected back on the court until March at the earliest.
Somewhere between the haze of dashed dreams and the post-surgery pity parties, Collins was confronted by what many professional athletes encounter during a major injury: an identity crisis. During most of his 21 years, basketball was the most defining element of his life. It was what he was best at, how he was recognized, how he managed his stress, and how he viewed himself. And now, basketball was gone until the spring, leaving him with a harrowing question: Who was he? “What else do you have?” Collins remembers asking himself. “And I realized, I don’t have much.”
So often, athletes use their rehabilitation to focus only on their body, and getting the injured area healed. But for the 21-year-old Collins, he quickly identified that his rehabilitation would be of body and mind. “That’s not to say this whole time has been sunshine and rainbows,” Collins said. “I’ve definitely had pity parties, definitely played the victim, and definitely thought ‘This sucks.’ But then you get to a point where you are tired of being mad, or tired of being negative, and it’s like, ‘let me do something about it.'”
When the door opened for the media to enter the gym at the Trail Blazer practice facility Monday, there was a surprise spectator watching practice on a sideline bench. Zach Collins, fresh off his surgery last week to repair damage in his left labrum, was back.
“They said I could probably take (the sling) off when I’m home, hopefully next week,” Collins said. “But if I’m out in public, I still have to wear it. The worst part is when I sleep. I always sleep on my side and for some reason, at night all that pain comes back. The last couple of nights were a lot better. I’ve been almost pain free.”
Jason Quick: Blazers forward Zach Collins will have surgery to repair his dislocated left shoulder, sources tell The Athletic.
Eddie Sefko: Portland's Zach Collins leaves the court with what looked to be a dislocated left shoulder after grappling for a rebound with Luka Doncic, who gave him a butt-tap on the way off the floor.
Jay Allen: #Blazers announce that Zach Collins (left shoulder injury) will not return.
Portland Trail Blazers center-forward Zach Collins is recovering at his home in Las Vegas after sustaining a grade 2 sprain in his right ankle during a workout. Collins suffered the sprain and a torn ligament during a workout a couple of weeks ago.
He has been on crutches and in a walking boot but is expected to be ready to play by the opening of the team’s training camp. He is scheduled to return to Portland next week.
Joe Freeman: After practice, Collins slipped on a black face mask and dived into an individual workout with Blazers' coaches. Looks like he might have to wear that in Las Vegas.
Joe Freeman: Zach Collins suffered a broken nose when he collided with Caleb Swanigan at the end of Tuesday’s summer league practice. The Blazers are holding him out of contact portions of practice the rest of the week, but he said he’ll play in Las Vegas.
Joe Freeman: Zach Collins, who missed NBA his debut Wednesday night with gastroenteritis, has been upgraded to probable vs. the Pacers Friday.
After a right quad contusion sidelined the 7-0 rookie out of Gonzaga for all but the first two games of the Trail Blazers’ extended run at the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League, Zach Collins missed the first day of training camp practice due to suffering a concussion during informal workouts on September 22.
Jason Quick: Zach Collins says he hopes to play again in Summer League. Injury is to upper thigh. Not sure how it happened.
Mike Richman: Correction on the injury update from the Blazers: Zach Collins (right quad contusion) and Pat Connaughton (left hamstring strain) are out.
