The Detroit Pistons will head back on the road on Friday to take on the Brooklyn Nets, and no one is more excited than John Collins.
There have only been five games so far, but it’s been two different stories for Collins, one at home and one on the road.
John Collins has to find his shot in Detroit
Collins has been great in the Pistons’ three road games so far, averaging 13.7 points, nine rebounds and 1.7 blocks while shooting a scorching 50 percent from the floor and 63 percent from 3-point range.
It wasn’t just that Collins was hitting them, but he was shooting 3-pointers at the kind of volume the Pistons need, averaging nearly five attempts per game on the road.
This is exactly what the Pistons need from Collins as a floor spreader and rebounder.
It’s been a different story in Detroit, where Collins has looked like a completely different player.
Collins has averaged just five points and 3.5 rebounds at home while shooting 33 percent overall. He has yet to hit his first 3-pointer in Detroit and maybe more importantly, has only attempted three of them in two games.
This culminated in him playing just 18 minutes last night, fewest of any starter, while Javonte Green and Kevin Huerter got most of the run off the bench.
Part of it was that Collins got into early foul trouble, but he also has a tendency to disappear in games and go through the motions instead of aggressively seeking his shot.
The Pistons need him to be a floor spacer, and it was the primary reason they traded for him and let Tobias Harris walk in the offseason, but if Collins isn’t getting up 3’s or getting on the boards, he doesn’t do much else.
It could be the Collins is pressing at home as a new player trying to make an impact in front of the home crowd, and I am sure his home/road splits will eventually balance out.
Collins doesn’t have to be a superstar for the Pistons, but they need something closer to the road version than the one they’ve seen in Detroit so far this season, especially with Jalen Duren out, as Detroit is counting on Collins to fill some of those center minutes.
The Pistons have two upcoming road games, so hopefully we’ll see Collins bounce back and then take that momentum back home, where the Pistons will have a three-game home stand against the 76ers, Lakers and Wizards.
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