John Collins is ready to leave Detroit behind for a little while.
When the Pistons hit the road Friday to face the Brooklyn Nets, Collins will be looking for a reset after a start that has split almost perfectly between home and away. In the first five games, he’s been one player in the Pistons’ three road contests and a much quieter version in Detroit.
Away from home, Collins has done the kind of work Detroit clearly wants from him. He’s averaging 13.7 points, nine rebounds and 1.7 blocks on the road, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 63 percent from 3-point range.
Just as important, he’s putting the shot volume up from deep, taking nearly five 3-pointers per game on the road. That’s the type of floor-spacing production the Pistons need from him.
At home, though, the numbers have gone in the other direction. Collins is averaging just five points and 3.5 rebounds in Detroit while shooting 33 percent overall. He still hasn’t made a 3-pointer at home and has only tried three of them in two games.
That struggles showed up again last night, when Collins logged just 18 minutes, the fewest of any starter. Javonte Green and Kevin Huerter ended up getting most of the bench minutes. Collins did get caught in early foul trouble, but he also has a habit of fading into games instead of forcing the issue offensively.
Detroit brought him in for a reason. The Pistons needed a spacer and rebounder, and that’s why they traded for Collins and let Tobias Harris walk in the offseason. If Collins isn’t launching 3s or cleaning the glass, his impact shrinks fast.
There’s still a chance this is just a new-player adjustment, with Collins pressing a little in front of the home crowd. Those home-road splits should even out eventually.
The Pistons don’t need him to carry the offense. They do need something much closer to the road version than the one they’ve gotten in Detroit, especially with Jalen Duren out and those center minutes needing to be covered.
Detroit now has two road games coming up, and that gives Collins a chance to get his rhythm back before the Pistons return home for a three-game stretch against the 76ers, Lakers and Wizards.
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Pistons Suddenly Have A Center Depth Issue They Cant Ignore
The Pistons frontcourt picture got a lot murkier in the recent matchup with the Knicks, when Jalen Duren sat out with a hamstring injury and Detroit had to lean on its next option at center. In a spot where the team already needs reliability, Tolu Smith was pressed into limited minutes and the outing did not do much to settle anyones nerves about the depth chart behind Duren.
Smiths struggles, including foul trouble and turnovers, only sharpened the concern because the Pistons do not have a lot of obvious answers waiting in reserve. With the season rolling along and the center rotation suddenly looking thinner than expected, Detroit may have to take a harder look at its third big man spot before the issue becomes a bigger problem. [Read more 🡒]
Daniss Jenkins Is Giving The Pistons A Lineup Decision They Can't Ignore
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Now the question is whether the Pistons are ready to turn those flashes into a bigger role. Jenkins is at least in the conversation for a starting job, but the path there is complicated because it would mean reshaping the rotation and possibly sending either John Collins or Duncan Robinson to the bench. Detroit likes the options Jenkins has opened up, but the next step is proving he can bring that same efficiency night after night. [Read more 🡒]
Pistons First Loss Exposed An Offensive Problem Fans Know Too Well
The first loss of the season offered a familiar reminder of where the Pistons still have work to do. In a 97-point night against the Knicks, Detroits offense never found much rhythm after the opening quarter, with the ball sticking too long in half-court possessions and the shots from the perimeter and the line not doing enough to keep pace.
Cade Cunningham and Ausar Thompson both felt the pressure as New York tightened up defensively, and the absence of two key players only made the margin for error thinner. For a team trying to build on its early momentum, the bigger concern is not just the result but how quickly the offense drifted into the kind of stagnation Pistons fans have seen before. [Read more 🡒]