The Detroit Pistons got an early reminder of why John Collins didn’t end up back with the Clippers.
Collins, who had said he wanted to return after last season, was one of the more notable holdovers who did not stick around. He put up a respectable scoring season, averaging nearly 14 points while shooting 55.2% from the field, but the flaws showed up on the other end. His struggles on the perimeter and around the rim gave Los Angeles enough reason to move on, and Collins later landed in Detroit on a three-year deal.
His Pistons debut did little to quiet those concerns.
Detroit still pulled out the win behind Cade Cunningham and company, but Collins had a rough night defensively from the opening possessions on. The problem kept showing up on switches, where he was repeatedly exposed and looked out of sync. Across several sequences, he appeared unsure of where he was supposed to be, getting caught out of position and late to react.
That was enough to make an ugly impression. Even with the ball, Collins didn’t help much, finishing with six points on 3-for-7 shooting and going 0-for-3 from deep. By the end of the night, it was hard to argue he wasn’t hurting Detroit on both ends.
The Pistons also found out just how much damage that stretch could do. Collins was one reason they fell behind by as many as 22 in the third quarter.
J.B. Bickerstaff eventually pulled the plug and turned to Javonte Green, and that move mattered.
Green helped spark the comeback, and once Collins was out, Detroit immediately looked better. In a game the Pistons were able to steal, the coaching adjustment loomed large.
If Collins had stayed on the floor, the way he was playing, Detroit probably would have been buried by the Celtics.
So while the Pistons got the result they wanted, they also saw firsthand why the Clippers were comfortable letting Collins walk. Now Bickerstaff and his staff have to figure out how to cover for those issues, just as Tyronn Lue did last season.
In Other News...
Clippers Get An Early Crosstown Test Against A Former Laker
The early part of the new season is going to give Los Angeles basketball fans a familiar subplot, with the Lakers opening against Golden State before turning right around to face the Clippers and one of their former rotation pieces in Rui Hachimura. Hachimura landed with the Clippers in free agency after leaving the Lakers, while Austin Reaves stuck in purple and gold on a four-year extension, setting up a little more cross-town familiarity than usual when the teams meet early.
Reaves already offered a lighthearted view of Hachimura during a practice interview, which only adds to the intrigue of seeing him in a different uniform so quickly. For the Clippers, it is an early chance to see how a recent addition fits into a rivalry game that tends to carry extra weight anyway, especially when the opponent across the hallway knows the player almost as well as they do. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Open Against A Kings Team Already Facing Rotation Trouble
The Kings are heading into their season opener in Los Angeles already short-handed, with three players ruled out and another on the questionable list because of injuries. Sacramento will have to navigate the first night of the season without Ben Simmons, who is out for the year with a right Achilles tendon rupture, while the Clippers will also be dealing with their own availability issues, with five players ruled out for the matchup.
That leaves some uncertainty on both sides before the 7:30 p.m. PT tip, but Sacramentos backcourt situation is the one worth monitoring closest. Malik Monk is the questionable name after missing preseason and getting back to practice this week, and his status could shape how the Kings handle an opener that already comes with some rotation pressure. [Read more 🡒]
Blake Griffin Just Reignited A Painful Clippers Breakup Debate
Blake Griffins return to Staples Center in January 2019 already carried plenty of emotional baggage, and a recent recollection from the former Clippers star has brought that night back into focus. Griffin was back in Los Angeles after being traded to the Pistons, and the scene around him was loaded with the kind of awkwardness that tends to linger long after a breakup between a franchise icon and the team that once built around him.
Griffin said he was moving through his usual pregame routine when he went by Steve Ballmer and did not initially register the Clippers owners outstretched hand. The part that stayed with him came later, when his agent told him the organization had wanted a public handshake before tipoff, a detail that made the moment feel less like a sincere reunion and more like a staged bit of optics in a very public divorce. [Read more 🡒]