Overview
Born in Atlanta, Collier grew up in Marietta, Ga., and attended Wheeler High School. He caught the attention of scouts early on, and was widely considered one of the top prospects in the nation by his junior season. As a senior, Collier averaged 19.6 points, 6.8 assists, 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game en route to Mr. Georgia Basketball honors. Collier was also named the Naismith Prep Player of the Year and was selected to play in the 2023 McDonald’s All-American Game. A consensus top-five recruit in the 2023 class, Collier committed to USC over offers from Cincinnati, UCLA and Michigan. While the Trojans scuffled to a 15-18 record and missed the NCAA Tournament, Collier had a standout freshman season, averaging 16.3 points, 4.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals on 49/34/67 shooting splits. At season’s end, he was named to the Pac 12 All-Freshman team.
Analysis
At 6-foot-3, Collier has good size for an NBA point guard, and adding weight to his 205-pound frame won’t be necessary. In high school and college, Collier consistently bullied his way to the rim. It’s fair to wonder if that will translate to the NBA, though Collier is also a solid ball-handler with a quick first step. He’s also a willing passer with plus vision. Shooting remains a question mark, however, as Collier’s numbers have been all over the map since midway through his high school career. Given his less-than-ideal mechanics and at times difficult shot selection, Collier hovering around 30-to-35 percent as a rookie would be a success.
Projection
Collier projects as a late-lottery-to-mid-first-round pick. Some teams may be scared off by his up-and-down freshman season at USC, while others may fall in love with his size, strong frame and ability to finish through contact. It’s fair to call Collier a high-risk, high-reward prospect. In the right situation, he could develop into a bulldog of an NBA point guard. In the wrong situation, if his development is not prioritized, he could have trouble settling into a rotation. Since Collier is not a top-tier athlete, improving his shooting will likely be the top priority early in his NBA career. In addition to shaky three-point shooting, Collier hit just 67.3 percent of his free throws last season, a concerning number for a guard. In terms of NBA comparisons, Collier’s game displays shades of Scoot Henderson, Emmanuel Mudiay and Eric Bledsoe.
— Profile by RotoWire