For the first time this season, the Detroit Pistons decided to roll out John Collins as their starting center. Up to this point, while Jalen Duren has been sidelined due to injury, the Pistons have been starting Paul Reed. But they went away from that in their game against the Washington Wizards on Monday night, and the results were positive.
Collins looks good out there. He did his job as the starting center against a Washington frontcourt that was sporting both Anthony Davis and Alex Sarr. In the end, the Pistons walked away with a dominant victory. They blew the doors open in the second half, and the Wizards couldn’t catch up.
Perhaps playing Collins at the five is something they should try out more often as the season rolls forward. It wasn't perfect. Davis put up monster numbers. But the Pistons still won comfortably, and that's what's most important.
John Collins can play center for the Pistons
Obviously, the win was a collective effort. Collins’ play at the center spot wasn’t the only reason Detroit won the game. Again, Davis played well. But it was certainly a notable talking point.
Collins being able to play the center takes a lot of pressure off Reed’s need to be the full-time starting center with Duren out. And when Duren comes back, it means Reed won’t have to be the full-time backup without any help.
JB Bickerstaff decided to switch things up after the Pistons’ two straight losses. He didn’t want them to go on a three-game skid, so he made a change to the starters. Collins ended the night with 24 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block. He shot 9-of-13 from the field and 2-of-3 from deep.
Detroit also just played on Sunday night, so this was the second night of a back-to-back. Maybe that played a part in the decision, but it also just felt like there was room to make an adjustment.
Collins looked good. He rebounded the ball well, contributed heavily on the offensive end, and was one of the best players on the court for the Pistons all night long.
Washington had a brutal shooting night, so that made life a bit easier on the Pistons. But in fairness, the Pistons didn’t shoot the three-ball well, either. So, it was about who could figure out other ways to score.
Turnovers played a huge part in the result of the game. The Wizards were a turnover machine, and the Pistons did a pretty good job of taking care of the ball.
Still, the Collins-at-center storyline was an important one. It proved that the Pistons can shake things up when they need to and still fetch the results they want. Collins can definitely pitch in at the five moving forward.
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