This upcoming NBA draft class has garnered plenty of attention for its seemingly abundant talent and a lot of that has been thanks to the group of guards expected to be taken with the first few picks of the draft. The likes of Lonzo Ball and Markelle Fultz have dominated headlines when in regards to the upcoming draft but every day, more and more stud players are beginning to declare for the draft.
Adding on to that list earlier today was seven-footer Zach Collins of Gonzaga University who declared for the 2017 NBA draft, following from ESPN’s Jeff Goodman:
Gonzaga freshman Zach Collins is headed to the NBA: https://t.co/cWxAyItV0Bhttps://t.co/OdT8bo3jHv
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) April 12, 2017
Collins is also expected to sign an agent according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports:
Gonzaga's Zach Collins will enter the 2017 NBA Draft and is expected to sign with an agent, per a source.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 12, 2017
Zach Collins only played on year at Gonzaga and the freshman’s decision to declare for the draft makes him the school’s first one-and-done player ever. In his solo season at Gonzaga, Collins played admirably, averaging 10.0 points per game to go along with 5.9 rebounds.
While those numbers don’t exactly jump off the page, it’s the work Collins and his Bulldogs did in the tournament that was truly noteworthy. Gonzaga bullied their way to the championship game against North Carolina thanks in no small part to the double-double Collins tallied against South Carolina in the Final Four.
While the season didn’t finish the way Collins would’ve liked at least he’ll have an opportunity to prove himself at the next level as he has a legitimate shot at being taken as a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
