CLEVELAND — Zach Collins’ first few seasons were touch and go.
There was no question the 6-10 center could play at the NBA level, but how much of a chance would he get?
When the 10th overall pick from the 2017 class was drafted by the Kings, then traded on draft night to the Trail Blazers, the Warriors were the “it” team, featuring their small-ball “lineup of death.” It was death for opposing teams to defend but also death for many of the NBA bigs who were supposedly headed toward extinction because of it.
“It’s good to see that bigs are still a part of the game,” Collins said Friday. “The position is still evolving where you have to do a lot on the floor, but I grew up a big, so it’s good to see how relevant they are and actually being in the game when it’s time to win.
‘‘I remember when I got to the league, late-game situations, the bigs rarely would stay in. There are still some teams like that now, but it’s good to see. You have to have high-IQ guys to pull it off, high-IQ point guards, and we have that. Personnel helps.”
Coach Billy Donovan is using Collins and Jalen Smith at the same time, going with a two-big lineup that a lot of teams are unleashing. And while the sample size is only a handful of games, so far, so good.
Collins and Smith were great together in the Bulls’ victory last week in Charlotte, and they were good in the first half of the win against the Cavaliers on Wednesday. They flashed again against the Cavs on Friday.
So why does it work with him and Smith?
“I think the coaches have done a better job of making it so when we’re out there, we know what our roles are, both of us,” Collins said.
“Him to space more and me to be more around the rim, and then just constant conversation between me and [Smith]. Those are the roles we want to stick to, but there are opportunities where if he’s ahead of the ball, he can run and I can space, and we’ve just tried to keep the communication. That’s the biggest difference.”
Donovan has tried a two-big look at times in previous seasons, but it has been ugly at best in most cases. The next iteration was getting starting center Nikola Vucevic minutes with Smith and Collins at different times.
The Bulls were expected to get two practices in on this trip, so stay tuned.
Shrinking Matas
In his second season, Matas Buzelis is getting tested as he sees more time at small forward.
When the Bulls go with the two-big look, Buzelis can slide to the three and face smaller opponents, Donovan said.
If he can grasp that on a consistent basis, it will allow Donovan to play him alongside Patrick Williams.
There are still some physical power forwards that Buzelis just doesn’t match up with well, so Donovan can throw Williams on them and still keep Buzelis on the floor.
Full tank?
The Bulls were a Frenchman shy of being fully healthy Friday, possibly for the first time this season.
Guards Ayo Dosunmu and Tre Jones were questionable but answered the bell with minutes restrictions attached.
French rookie forward Noa Essengue had season-ending shoulder surgery this month.