Daimion Collins looking comfortable as sophomore season begins
There was a lot to like about Kentucky’s dominating 108-56 win over the Dominican Republic on Wednesday night, but no one stood out more than Daimion Collins.
The 6-foot-9 now-sophomore was limited to just 7.4 minutes per game as a freshman in the 2021-22 season. Coming to Lexington as a basketball enigma, no one knew what to make of the lanky, alien-like athlete. Collins, more often than not, looked like a newborn baby calf a year ago instead of a potential NBA lottery pick. As recently as this past spring, he could hardly get off the bench under head coach John Calipari.
But an offseason of intense conditioning, weight-lifting, and dieting now has the former five-star recruit looking like the prized prospect he was in high school — through one preseason game, at least.
“He still has a lot of room to grow, but the thing is, because of the way we compete every day in practice, when we get in a game where he’s going against some guys that might be a little stronger, a little physical, it didn’t phase him,” Associate head coach Orlando Antigua said after the win. “He made plays that he continues to make.”
Against the Dominican Republic, Collins wasted no time showcasing his newfound skills. He knocked down a couple of silky mid-range jumpers while on the move, found teammates for plenty of easy scores, and sent the small dining hall arena into a frenzy not once, but TWICE thanks to SportsCenter Top 10 worthy slams.
The two dunks were practically mirror images of each other.
All in all, Collins finished with 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, two blocks, one steal, and zero turnovers in 23 minutes of action. He shot 6-9 from the floor, too, starting the game alongside Oscar Tshiebwe and Jacob Toppin in what made up a towering frontcourt for the ‘Cats.
“One of the things we really liked was how many assists he had,” Antigua added. “(Collins) made some great plays, great decisions, was able to hold his ground, find guys, and obviously you saw his athleticism, and the way he shoots the ball. I just think that he’s got an extremely high ceiling.”
But above everything else, one important factor stood out with Collins when comparing this version of himself to last season: he looked far more comfortable. From his jumpshot to his ball handling, Collins’ game was visibly smoother in one summer exhibition matchup than it ever was throughout all of last season.
“I got a good confidence level,” Collins said following his impressive showing. “Ever since the offseason last year after the season, I’ve been hitting the gym, putting in work, getting better, so I think my confidence level is where it’s supposed to be.”
Last season’s Daimion Collins doesn’t take and make the dribble pull-up jumpers that he did on Wednesday night in the Bahamas. He doesn’t find his teammates for what would have been a career-high five dimes if this were a regular-season game. He doesn’t contend every opposing shot attempt like he’s trying to leap for the ceiling and grab onto the rafters. Collins always had those traits in his bag, but a major boost in his confidence is finally allowing him to flex them in year two with the ‘Cats.
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