The Pistons brought in John Collins this offseason to be a play finisher and thrive off Cade Cunningham's elite playmaking; fortunately he seems to understand the assignment perfectly. When asked about playing with Cade, Collins had the following to say:
" I pride myself on trying to get a lot of easy baskets, I feel like Cade is a great playmaker."
Collins brings excellent complementary skills to Detroit at the power forward position. He's shown himself to be a willing and capable 3-point shooter from anywhere on the floor, and his lob finishes still strike fear in opponents' hearts. Whether it's an alley-oop or a kickout from Cade, Collins has the tools to finish scoring opportunities.
The Pistons acquired Collins for the right role
With Collins' inside-out finishing ability, he should help take some pressure off Cade and other young Pistons. Unlike Tobias Harris in the same spot last season, Collins need to be covered at all times because he's always hunting easy shots if the defense lets their eyes off him. Harris might be a better tough-shot maker, but Collins is the superior offball threat that can open things up for his teammates.
Swapping Collins in for Harris also gives Ausar Thompson more runway for a bigger offensive role. Collins is not a ball-dominant player by any means, so he can play his preferred game while still giving Ausar plenty of room to develop his confidence and aggression. If anything, Collins' lingering off-ball threat will give Ausar easier opportunities to find his own rhythm with the ball in his hands.
At the same time, Collins' game isn't solely dependent on great passes from his teammates. He's also got a nice post package, especially against smaller defenders. This will come in handy in the right matchups, and still counts as a way to get easy baskets.
Collins will make a huge impact from day one
Collins' versatile skillset makes him a perfect fit for the Pistons, regardless of who's playing center next to him, Cade and Ausar. As a roll man himself or in the dunker spot, Collins can help offensive sets flow more smoothly and help build better halfcourt efficiency in Detroit. His contributions to the offense should be apparent immediately, not only in his own points but also the ease with which his team scores.
The Pistons made enough tough shots in last season's playoffs to make a deep run, but lacked easier baskets in the postseason. With Harris being more comfortable taking contested middies than open threes, opposing defenses were able to crowd Cade and take away Jalen Duren's rolls to the rim. Cade still made them pay plenty with elite shotmaking, but that effort eventually wore him down.
This season, the Pistons need to work on implementing a better system from the start. Collins will be instrumental in that effort after years of experience transforming his game into an ideal role player.
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