The Detroit Pistons signed free-agent John Collins to be the starting power forward, but if he’s used creatively, he has the versatility to give JB Bickerstaff new options.
Collins is listed as a power forward/center though he’s been used sparingly in the latter role as his career has progressed. Atlanta experimented with him as a stretch five early in his career, when everyone in the league was trying to play “small-ball.”
But as players have gotten bigger and more skilled, small ball gave way to jumbo ball that has culminated with a 7-foopt-4 alien who shoots 3-point shots. Now, every team seems to be trying to get bigger while trying to balance ball handling, creation and shooting.
Small ball may have disappeared as a buzzword, but teams are still looking for centers that can stretch the floor.
Collins hasn’t been used as much in that role of late, but it’s one the Pistons are positioned to unlock again, which could help them with some of their struggles in the half court.
Ausar Thompson is the key to unlocking John Collins
No team is going to be able to run an undersized center for the entire game, as they’d likely get killed on the boards. But Collins is a good rebounder for a size, a guy who has averaged over 10 per game in the past and 7.7 for his career.
He can’t carry the boards as a full-time center but can hold his own in stretches, which would allow the Pistons to get more shooting on the floor.
Ausar Thompson’s elite perimeter defense also makes it easier to have a guy on the floor who is not a true rim protector, as he stops guys from getting there in the first place.
He can also defend up or down and is a very good weakside shot blocker who can cover a lot of defensive mistakes.
Cade Cunningham is also a very good defender, so moving Collins to the five for stretches shouldn't completely kill the Pistons and could allow them to overcome one of their biggest problems in the playoffs.
The Pistons need more space in the half court
Assuming the Pistons end up with Jalen Duren next season, they are going to face the same issue in the playoffs when they play him and Ausar Thompson at the same time. Teams are going to pack the paint and force Cunningham into walls of defenders.
The Pistons should be better equipped to handle this with another shooter on the roster (Isaiah Joe) and by using Collins at times instead of Duren. That would allow Detroit to put three shooters around Cunningham and Thompson, giving them the space they often lacked in the half court.
Collins is a very good corner 3-point shooter so can draw defenders away from the rim, which makes life easier for Cade Cunningham.
Using Collins as a stretch five isn’t something the Pistons can get away with for long stretches, but they should be able to unlock him in ways that we haven’t seen since early in his career.
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