The LA Clippers have played their last seven games without starting forward John Collins, but they appear to be on the verge of getting him back in short order.
Collins has missed the last seven games for the Clippers after suffering a neck strain against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 1. It was the second neck-related injury in 10 days for Collins, who was sidelined for nine days due to a head injury and neck soreness following a scary fall against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 20.
John Collins suffered these two neck injuries within a span of 10 days:
- 1/20/26 - Landed hard on left side of head, avoided injury, but had head injury + neck pain.
- 3/1/26 - In the first game, hits the head/neck on the same left side on a drive and immediately catches… https://t.co/3Aj6WFgQH5 pic.twitter.com/rwzmpnkP32- Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) 4 March 2026
John Collins hasn't played a game, but is sitting on the Clippers bench and appears to be in good mood after taking some scary hits to the head. Collins told ClutchPoints that he hopes to return to the court as soon as possible in the next few days.
"I'm feeling good, just trying to get back to form," Collins said. "It's been a tough period for me to stay available. So I'm trying to do what I can to get back into shape."
Collins participated in a scuffle Thursday between the Clippers' home games against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Chicago Bulls. He came out of that situation feeling good, but the Clippers will want to get another one of those "be ready" games and continue to evaluate him as he makes a run for his return.
"Yeah, I'm back in the Stay Ready Games, I'm feeling better. These types of injuries are just freak accidents, freak injuries. Just looking on the bright side, it could have been worse, it could have been something else. Again, I don't even really want to think about it, but again, I'm doing good. And I'm just trying to, again, stay healthy and make sure I'm ready to go."
Through November 25 – eight games after joining the starting lineup – John Collins averaged 14.9 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists, while shooting 60.1 percent from the field and 46.5 percent from three.
So how do the Clippers plan to re-engage a player like Collins after he missed a significant amount of time?
“He fits in very well,” Tyronn Lue told ClutchPoints. "It's definitely worth seeing where he is with his minutes restriction. Jesse has been a big part of us all year. His game, once he started playing well, really changed our season for us. Just see where he is minutes-wise, see how he feels, and go from there."
Benedict Mathurin and Isaiah Jackson also returned, leaving John Collins to take on a larger role for the team after losing Ivica Zubac in the trade. And while he hasn't played since the loss of rookie center Yannick Konan Niederhauser, Collins' absence has been felt on the glass.
“His ability to rebound the basketball, offensive rebound,” Lue said of where the Clippers have missed John Collins most. "And then to slow the game down, we can post somebody up, go to the mid-post area to slow the game down. He's been really good at that, so we miss him. And like I said, miss his energy. His energy on the floor is really good."
Since the Clippers started the season 6-21, John Collins has been the focal point of the Clippers' offense, averaging 15.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 blocks per game, while shooting an absurd 63.6 percent from the field and 54.9 percent from three.
