Jazz Reveal John Collins Playing Status on Eve of Game with Grizzlies

The Utah Jazz will be back at it on Saturday in the last game of their four-game road trip when they face the Memphis Grizzlies. According to the Jazz, starting forward John Collins will be absent due to an illness. 

This is coming off the heels of Collins suiting up against the Oklahoma City Thunder after an eight-game hiatus. In his return, Collins recorded a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. The Jazz played a competitive game but fell to the Thunder 123-114 in the end.

Utah has been very aggressive in filling out the injury report this year. Thursday was the first day Utah had its starting lineup intact since January 4.

If Utah is going to keep pace with the bottom dwellers in the lottery standings, they will still need to stay aggressive with the injury report. Despite their 10-32 record, they still have a formidable starting five. 

Walker Kessler and Keyonte George have improved this season, while Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, and Collins can win you a game on any given night. Seeing how far Utah will push the tanking limits will be interesting. 

Where it stands today, the Jazz are tied with the second-worst record in the league, but that could change quickly if Utah were to string a few wins together. Utah is only two games removed from the fifth-best lottery odds. 

The trade deadline is less than two weeks away, and putting less experienced players on the court should be easier. Jordan Clarkson, Collins, and Sexton are the three players most likely to be moved. The trade deadline is on February 6.