The Detroit Pistons didn’t just swap out Tobias Harris for John Collins at power forward. They changed the job description.
At 28, Collins gives Detroit a bigger, more athletic, more efficient option than the 34-year-old Harris. On paper, that part is easy to like. But the real ask is more demanding: the Pistons need Collins to bring the kind of volume scoring he hasn’t provided on a playoff team since his Atlanta days.
The numbers show why Detroit is betting on him. In 2024-25, Collins put up 19.0 points and 8.2 rebounds in 30.5 minutes a night while shooting .527/.399/.848.
This past season, he hit 1.3 threes per game in 27.2 minutes and connected on 40.6 percent of them. He also brings the kind of physical tools that pop immediately - size, lift, and enough shooting touch to stretch defenses.
But there’s a catch. He played only 40 games in 2024-25, and his last playoff run came in 2022-23, when he averaged 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He hasn’t averaged at least 15.0 points on a playoff team since 2021-22.
That matters in Detroit, where the scoring burden was too concentrated last season. Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren were the only Pistons who averaged more than 13.3 points per game in 2025-26, with Harris checking in third at 13.3.
Even in a 60-win season, the conversation kept circling back to the same issue: the team needed more shot creation and more reliable conversion around its stars. Collins may be the best answer they have.
His skill set is real. According to Basketball Index, Collins ranked in the 96th percentile in field goal percentage at the rim, the 92nd percentile in one on one shot making, and the 94th percentile in one on one shot making efficiency. He also landed in the 69th percentile in off-ball gravity and made 41.7 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes.
He was also No. 2 among forwards in stable post up points per possession, sitting behind only DeMar DeRozan. The top five were DeRozan at 1.12, Collins at 1.11, Kawhi Leonard at 1.10, Keldon Johnson at 1.07, and Paolo Banchero at 1.06.
The issue isn’t whether Collins can score. It’s whether he can do it often enough. His catch-and-shoot numbers were strong, but they came on just 1.3 made threes per game, a low enough volume to keep the question alive.
Detroit needs more than flashes. Collins will have to hit those spot-up looks more consistently and take on a larger scoring load overall.
Maybe Ron Holland, Paul Reed, or Ausar Thompson will take a leap and ease some of that pressure. Until that happens, the Pistons still need shot creation and shooting help.
Whether Duren is on the roster or not, the assignment for Collins stays the same: be the skilled scorer Detroit lacked in 2025-26. For the first time since Atlanta, he’s being asked to do it for a playoff team.
In Other News...
Pistons Suddenly Have A Jalen Duren Trade Decision They Can't Ignore
Jalen Durens contract situation has already become one of the more uncomfortable questions hanging over Detroits offseason, and now it has spilled into the trade market. Bleacher Report floated a deal that would send the young center to Milwaukee, with the idea framed as a way to break the tension around his negotiations with the Pistons while also giving Detroit a look at a different kind of frontcourt fit.
The proposal is built around a return of Myles Turner, Ryan Rollins and an unprotected 2031 first-round pick, which at least gives the Pistons a real conversation to have if the relationship keeps trending sideways. The bigger issue is whether Duren might be leaning toward the qualifying offer, a move that would put Detroit in a tougher spot and potentially force the team to consider a sign-and-trade path rather than letting the matter linger much longer. [Read more 🡒]
Paul Reed Now Faces The Pressure Behind Detroit's Isaiah Stewart Trade
Isaiah Stewarts move to Memphis left a clear opening in Detroits frontcourt, and Paul Reed is now the one expected to step into it. For the Pistons, it is a straightforward handoff on paper: more minutes, more responsibility and a bigger defensive burden for a big man who has long flashed the kind of energy and activity the coaching staff values.
Reeds challenge is that replacing Stewart is not just about filling a rotation spot. Detroit is asking him to absorb the demands of protecting the rim and handling pick-and-roll coverages with a level of consistency that comes with a much longer nightly workload, and the pressure rises from there when the reps start to pile up. The Pistons like the upside, but the real test will be whether Reed can turn those promising stretches into something sustainable when the role is no longer limited. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons Are Suddenly Back In The Trey Murphy Trade Conversation
A fresh wrinkle in New Orleans has put Trey Murphy III back on the radar, and Detroit is right in the mix as a possible landing spot. The Pelicans recent signing of Bennedict Mathurin could put more pressure on their books and make a high-salaried player harder to keep, which is the kind of cap-driven opening that can reopen trade talks fast in the NBA.
For the Pistons, Murphy makes sense as the type of wing who can fit into a bigger-picture roster build, especially if New Orleans becomes motivated to move money. Detroit would likely have to get creative on the salary side, with Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter among the names floated as possible matches, but for now it remains a conversation about fit and flexibility rather than anything close to a done deal. [Read more 🡒]