“I’m supposed to have a splint on it at all times and keep my hand as straight as possible,” Collins said. “That’s the dilemma I have, because how are you supposed to play basketball with a straight finger? You can’t. If this was my left hand, it wouldn’t be an issue. Last season, I really screwed up my (middle) finger on my left hand. I didn’t say much because I could play through it. But this is my right hand, my shooting hand, the hand I use to grab rebounds — I do everything with this hand. It changes how I think, not necessarily how I play, but I just have to be more cautious with my finger. “It changes how I fall, because I don’t want to put pressure on my finger. Gripping the rim on dunks is a challenge. I can’t do too much, but I feel like I can do enough to be helpful. It’s hard to get my touch on certain shots to get that instinctual feel because something is there that normally isn’t there. I’m trying to play through something I’m not used to playing with, and I have to do it at the highest level of basketball. It’s tough, and I’m trying to figure it out.”