The Pistons found something useful Monday night, and it came from a spot they had not used this season: John Collins at center.
With Jalen Duren still sidelined by injury, Detroit had been leaning on Paul Reed in the starting five. Against the Washington Wizards, though, JB Bickerstaff changed the look and handed Collins the job at the five. The move paid off in a big way as the Pistons rolled to a comfortable win, opening things up in the second half and leaving Washington unable to recover.
It was not a flawless night for Detroit’s new look. Anthony Davis put up huge numbers, so Collins was not locking down the paint on his own.
But the Pistons still controlled the game, and that mattered most. Collins held up well in the role, and the team got the kind of result that makes the adjustment worth revisiting.
His line told the story. Collins finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block while going 9-of-13 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. He was active on the glass, productive on offense, and one of Detroit’s best players from start to finish.
Bickerstaff made the change after the Pistons dropped two straight and wanted to avoid a three-game slide. The timing made some sense, too, with Detroit playing on the second night of a back-to-back after taking the floor Sunday night. Whatever the reasoning, the switch gave the Pistons a different look and a better result.
The bigger takeaway is what it could mean going forward. Collins at center eases the burden on Reed while Duren is out, and it also keeps Reed from having to carry the full backup load once Duren returns. That kind of flexibility matters over the course of a season.
Washington’s rough shooting night helped Detroit, and the Pistons did not exactly light it up from deep themselves. So the game turned into a battle of who could find scoring in other ways, and Detroit handled that part better. The Wizards also coughed the ball up repeatedly, while the Pistons took better care of it.
Even with those factors in play, the Collins-at-center experiment stood out. It showed Detroit can change course, find a workable lineup, and still get the kind of win it needed. Collins can clearly help the Pistons at the five if they decide to keep using him there.
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