Detroit Pistons: Bickerstaff Sees Duren, Collins As Strong Frontcourt Duo

Since the Detroit Pistons brought in so many new players during the summer, part of their preseason challenge is to make sure everyone is acclimated to the squad and the Motor City in general before the regular season kicks off on Tuesday, Oct. 20 against the Boston Celtics. 

But prior to that Opening Night extravaganza, the Pistons newcomers, such as John Collins, have been working to discover their fit in the Detroit offense alongside a pair of All-Stars in Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren. So far, Collins has started both exhibition games as a Piston at power forward, but the nine-year vet brings an added element of versatility to the Motown offense given his ability to play across the frontcourt. 

For brief passages of play this preseason, the Pistons have experimented with using Collins at the five in small-ball lineups, but the early returns were not kind in the defensive rebounding department. Still, Collins offers a sense of optionality that Pistons head coach J.B. Bickerstaff is fond of from an offensive perspective, so that’s been a focal point of Detroit’s work during the exhibition slate. 

Eventually, Collins will have the chance to take the floor with Duren in an actual NBA game, but that big man pairing has been restricted to just practice settings up to this point. Bickerstaff still hasn’t outlined an official return date for the All-NBA Third-Teamer, though he did mention that he “definitely” expects to see Duren in the preseason at some stage. 

”What we’ve seen here in practice, they’ve got an ability to work well together,” Bickerstaff said of Collins and Duren. “Both of them are really good interior passers. Both of them have vertical spacing at the rim so they can play those high-low games— obviously, John’s ability to space and roll. I think the combination of them works well, and then defensively you add that size and rebounding capability and it helps you close out possessions as well.”

From a stylistic point of view, Collins can score from the perimeter, post up smaller defenders or make plays above the rim, so his inside-outside game could be a dangerous compliment next to Duren’s size and power. Last season, Collins connected on three-pointers at a 40% rate for the second time in his career (with two seasons at 39.9%), so the experienced veteran should positively contribute to Detroit’s spacing as well. 

When asked to comment on how he and Duren will fit together, Collins mentioned that he’s excited to make big-to-big plays with JD during the season. In general, Collins feels that he has “underrated” vision for a big man, so the Wake Forest product is anxious to unleash his skill set in a system that will maximize his ability. 

While stationed in Los Angeles with the Clippers last season, Collins was a fourth or fifth option on most nights since the team was prioritizing other players, so his volume, usage and production all took a hit as a byproduct. But the Pistons have a clear role for Collins to fill as a major contributor on a squad with deep postseason ambition, so look for the vet to undergo a resurgence while playing next to Cunningham and Duren in the Motor City.