John Collins’ first night with the Pistons made one thing clear fast: there are going to be matchups where he has to survive on the fly, not solve them.
Detroit’s new look didn’t get much from Collins offensively either. He finished with six points, missed all of his 3-point attempts, and never really found a rhythm in the game. Still, he left his fingerprints on the night in a few spots - a massive block that swung momentum, plus a pair of useful offensive rebounds - but the bigger story was how hard he had it on defense.
Paul George was the problem. He looked fully in control and kept finding ways around Collins, who simply didn’t have a clean answer for him.
Detroit even tried moving Collins to center, hoping the switch would change the equation, but that didn’t solve much. The Pistons didn’t really slow George until Javonte Green entered and brought a different level of resistance.
Green did a better job of staying in front of George and pushing him into tougher looks, and that helped turn the game. But it also underscored the issue Collins creates when Detroit needs him to cover a big wing. Against a scorer like George, Collins can get exposed.
That’s not going to be a nightly problem for Detroit. Most teams don’t roll out two big, shot-making wings the way Boston does.
But when they do, Collins doesn’t have an easy defensive home. He can struggle against big wings at the four, and teams like the Raptors and Knicks, with power forwards who can create, could make life difficult for him.
The Pistons also tested the small-ball option with Collins at the five in two stretches, and neither went well. Boston simply answered by putting Mitchell Robinson back in the game and punishing Detroit on the glass.
Robinson also slipped free for an easy lob, a reminder that Collins at center comes with obvious size issues. Small ball can still be a tool for Detroit, but it depends on the opponent, because Collins is not a true center and gives up major size in matchups like that.
It wasn’t all rough, though. Collins flashed a few things that Tobias Harris didn’t bring, including that above-the-rim block and a transition dunk after a sharp pass from Ausar Thompson. He also threw down a thunderous put-back dunk that got wiped out by a phantom foul call, another glimpse of the vertical pop Detroit is getting from him.
Even with the uneven debut, the challenge is now obvious. The Pistons have three more tough games ahead against teams with power forwards who can create, and Collins is going to get tested early in this new defensive role.
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Dalton Knechts release by the Lakers before his third season is a reminder of how quickly a young player can slide from promising to vulnerable when the fit stops working. Lanier is facing a similar kind of pressure in Detroit, where the margin for error is shrinking and the competition for a spot is getting tighter by the day. [Read more 🡒]