The Detroit Pistons have a new power forward in John Collins who shares some similar traits to a particular franchise legend
After a long offseason, training camp is finally underway in the Motor City, and almost everyone on the Detroit Pistons is present and accounted for. Of course, 22-year old All-Star Jalen Duren still is not in the building since he’s embroiled in a contract negotiation with the Pistons, but everyone else is healthy and ready to go.
Over the summer, the Pistons were quite busy retooling the squad after their second round exit from the playoffs. With a keen eye on improving the team’s three-point shooting, Detroit added John Collins in a sign-and-trade from the Los Angeles Clippers once it became evident that Tobias Harris would be moving on, and that’s a transaction that will have a major impact on the starting five.
With Collins presumably taking over Harris’ role as the team’s first-choice power forward, the Wake Forest product is using training camp to build a rapport with his new teammates, but he’s already seen some encouraging signs from his work with All-NBA First Teamer Cade Cunningham.
”[I’m] trying to use my versatility to play off him,” Collins said. “I pride myself on trying to get a lot of easy buckets. Cade is a great playmaker and obviously a great basketball player. He’s coming off an amazing year. But to your point, just trying to use my versatility to play off him and give him another guy who can create and play-make with him on the court as well.”
Last season, Harris was most impactful as a mid-range scorer with post-up moves who could produce a bucket when the Pistons were in a bind. In fact, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff even referred to Harris as his “safety blanket,” but Collins offers a more diverse style of play. To his credit, Collins is an accomplished long-range marksman who eclipsed the 40% threshold from distance last year, so that floor spacing should be a piece of Detroit’s strategy more so than in the past.
Early in his career, Collins spent his first six seasons in the league with the Atlanta Hawks. During that timeframe, Collins interacted with Pistons legend Rasheed Wallace, who coincidentally had an incredibly brief stint with the Hawks before joining Detroit for their title run. Collins spoke about Wallace’s influence on the game stylistically and concurred that he offers similar elements to Sheed’s style of play.
”One of the original stretch fours,” Collins said. “Obviously, we all know him for that fire and intensity that he brought to the court, but not only could stretch. He had a tremendous post game, an underrated defender, had that grit, had that energy, had that force of nature and all that good stuff that describes the Pistons. For sure somebody that I used to watch, learn that pick-and-pop game and the originator of the stretch four.”
While Wallace was partly known for his brash personality, Collins is a bit more reserved in conversation, but it’s their style of play on the court that is comparable. At 6-9 and 235 pounds, Collins is a plus-offensive rebounder who has a long highlight reel of lobs and slam dunks under his belt. Since above-the-rim play finishing is well within his ability, Cunningham should be able to use that trait to Detroit’s advantage when the regular season officially kicks off on Oct. 20 against the Boston Celtics.
Until that time, Collins will continue working into a rhythm with his new teammates with a pre-season tilt against the Phoenix Suns right around the corner.
