Lue might have found something with Collins in the second unit.
The Los Angeles Clippers needed a jolt, and they got one from an unexpected place on Sunday night.
John Collins came off the bench for the first time in nine games and turned in his best performance of the month, pouring in 25 points in just 24 minutes as the Clippers rolled past the Sacramento Kings 138-109 in Sacramento.
It was a complete effort that head coach Ty Lue had been waiting to see, and he did not hold back in his praise afterward.
"I thought it was really good. His energy was excellent," Lue said of Collins postgame. "He was able to sprint in the pick-and-rolls and get off the rolls fast enough to get behind the defense. Defensively, he was strong at the rim, blocking shots or altering them. His energy running the floor and picking up rolls was really good. He's done a really good job and he's only going to get better."
Collins Thriving in a New Role
The move to bring Collins off the bench was a lineup tweak that paid off right away.
With Isaiah Jackson still sidelined by a right ankle sprain that has now kept him out for four straight games, Lue slid Collins to the second unit and inserted Kris Dunn into the starting five.
Dunn had not started in eight games, but the switch gave the Clippers a different look that clearly worked.
Collins tied his season high with those 25 points and added two steals while playing with a pace and aggression that the Clippers have needed down the stretch.
What stands out about Collins in this role is how naturally he fits with the bench group.
He does not need the ball in his hands to create, and his ability to sprint the floor and finish around the rim makes him a weapon alongside playmakers like Darius Garland.
Since returning from a neck strain in mid-March, Collins has averaged 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 53.9 percent from the floor across 11 games, and the numbers only got better once he shifted to the reserve role.
Why the Bench Move Works Without Jackson
The reality is that Jackson's absence opened a door that may not close anytime soon.
When Jackson was healthy, Collins had been starting alongside Kawhi Leonard and Brook Lopez, but that left the second unit without a reliable scoring big.
Moving Collins behind Lopez gives Lue a safety net off the bench that can keep the offense humming when Leonard and the starters take a seat, and that showed up in a big way against the Kings when the Clippers went into the fourth quarter with a 107-79 lead.
Leonard did his part too, scoring 26 points to extend his franchise-record streak of consecutive 20-point games to 54, and Garland and Kobe Sanders both chipped in 17 each for the Clippers.
Six players finished in double figures, which is exactly the depth a play-in team needs heading into the final week of the regular season.
Looking Ahead
The win moved the Clippers to 40-38, pulling them into a tie for the eighth spot in the Western Conference with the Portland Trail Blazers, though Los Angeles now holds the tiebreaker after winning two of three meetings between the teams.
With four games left and a trip to Portland on Friday looming as a potential tiebreaker showdown, the Clippers cannot afford to let up.
And if Collins keeps playing like this off the bench, they might not have to.
Even when Jackson comes back, Lue might want to think twice before changing what is working.