Zach Collins dislocated his right shoulder in the Spurs‘ season finale on Sunday and a subsequent MRI revealed a torn labrum, the team announced in a press release.
Collins will undergo surgery and is expected to be fully healed to open the 2024-25 season, per the Spurs.
A 6-foot-11 big man, Collins dealt with multiple major ankle injuries earlier in his seven-year career, playing just 39 combined games from 2019-22.
However, he was relatively healthy in 2023-24, appearing in 69 games while averaging 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 22.1 minutes per contest.
The 26-year-old opened 2023-24 as the Spurs’ starting center, but he was moved to the bench in December when head coach Gregg Popovich slid Victor Wembanyama up a position in the frontcourt. Collins wound up making 29 starts, often manning the middle in the 11 games Wembanyama missed.
While it’s very unfortunate that Collins sustained another significant injury, the good news is that he’ll have the entire offseason to recover. The fact that San Antonio expects him to be ready for the start of next season is a positive sign as well.
Collins signed a two-year, $34.8M extension with the Spurs last October, which begins next season. He’s under contract through 2025-26.
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