John Collins
Detroit Pistons · Forward · 6′9″ 226 lb · age 29 · Wake Forest · 10th season
3 games this season
Availability
Next game Tomorrow at NYK. The injury report for it appears the day before.
Season form
3 games this seasonStarts 3 of 3 games · 3rd on DET in minutes · Core role
Bars: minutes in his last 3 games · numbers: points
Situational splits: turn on Prediction tools.
What's being said
50 items · 7 sources this season- Podcast Locked On NBA host · Report · wording unclear in audio around the league
Detroit won 128-111 at Miami and is 2-0, and Miami is 0-2. Cade Cunningham had 16 points and 8 assists. Duncan Robinson is 10-of-20 from three to start the season.
“BEST NBA NIGHT EVER! YOU HAD TO BE THERE!” at 18:41 · listen ↗
- Story ESPN · Article ·
Pistons roll past Heat 128-111, adding to Miami's season-opening woes on defensive end
- Podcast Locked On Pistons · 13 points ·
- Host's prediction: the most likely scenario is an 11-man rotation, with minutes shifting among Ronald Holland II, John Collins and Kevin Huerter depending on who is playing well. at 9:07
- The host believes Bickerstaff benched John Collins for about the last eight minutes of Game 1 in favor of Javonte Green. The host hedged this with "I believe". at 7:37
- Host's view: John Collins was disappointing throughout preseason and in Game 1. The host names Collins and Ronald Holland II as the most negatively impactful Pistons in the opener. at 14:32
- According to the host, Detroit chose John Collins and let Tobias go. The host says the offseason concerns about that switch showed up in preseason and Game 1. at 15:09
- Detroit opened the fourth quarter of Game 1 with John Collins at small-ball center alongside Daniss Jenkins and bench players. This came after the Pistons had cut the deficit to nine. at 16:04
- Host's analysis: Collins is not a strong enough rebounder at center to sustain small-ball-five minutes for long stretches. He adds that Collins and Duncan Robinson had too many defensive miscommunications. at 17:36
- The host describes a fourth-quarter play in which Collins stood on the right block and did not rotate to the open corner shooter (the host thinks it was Scheierman) until after the catch, which led to a score. at 18:53
- Host's hope: Bickerstaff has gotten the most defensively out of weak defenders such as Malik Beasley, THJ and Duncan Robinson, and may do the same with Collins over time. at 17:56
- Host's opinion: if Detroit keeps using Collins at small-ball five, it should pair him with Ausar Thompson to survive on the glass and on defense. at 22:46
- Host's view: on offense Collins looked out of sorts in his first game in the new system. He seemed unsure of his role, cut into driving lanes, and got no coordinated lobs from Cade Cunningham like he did at times in preseason. at 20:19
- Host's prediction: Collins will improve offensively. The host says he is not too concerned about Collins's offense, only his defense. at 21:08
- Host's view: the Collins + Jalen Duren minutes were not great defensively. He says Tobias was a much better defender who worked with Duren. at 21:25
- The host asks how long Detroit will keep testing small-ball five with Collins, noting that his previous teams eventually dropped it. at 22:27
“Should The Detroit Pistons ALREADY Make A Rotation CHANGE After Javonte Green's Game 1 Performance?” · listen ↗
- Podcast Numbers on the Board host · Analysis · around the league
The Pistons look almost the same as last season. The change named is John Collins in place of Tobias Harris.
“LIVE From Chicago! | Numbers On The Board” at 7:32 · listen ↗
- Podcast Locked On Clippers host · Analysis · around the league
The host describes Rui Hachimura as replacing John Collins and says Hachimura averaged fewer rebounds than Collins.
“Biggest Takeaways From LA Clippers Preseason” at 5:32 · listen ↗
- Podcast Gil's Arena · 2 points · partly checked episode
- Boogie referred to a John Collins signing by Detroit and said it gives the Pistons size, shooting and some rim protection. at 1:03:59
- Evan Turner said Detroit relies on John Collins and Cade to make plays. He said the playoffs showed that physical, high-energy games lead to high-turnover games for Cade ('Cato'). at 1:06:21
“GIL'S ARENA NBA FANTASY DRAFT WITH $100K ON THE LINE ! Part 2” · listen ↗
- Podcast Locked On NBA · 2 points ·
- Kukiel said the Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff benched Ronald Holland II and John Collins in favor of Javonte Green. Kukiel praised the decision. name not confirmed at 31:49
- Kukiel said Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren bullied Mitchell Robinson and Neemias Queta on the glass. He said Boston could not punish Detroit's small-ball lineups with John Collins at the five. at 33:27
“Thunder SWAT Down Spurs, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren Make Opening STATEMENT” · listen ↗
- Podcast Locked On Pistons · 6 points ·
- Host opinion: Javonte Green should be in the rotation, possibly taking minutes from Holland, Collins or Huerter. The host says he is not claiming Holland should lose his spot after one game. Before the season he had said Green was probably out of the rotation. at 31:40
- Host observed Bickerstaff tell Ausar Thompson to have Collins move away so Thompson would set the screen. Cade Cunningham inbounded, went straight into a pick-and-roll with Thompson, and they scored. The host was unsure the screener was Collins ("I believe") and thought Duren was on the bench. at 7:47
- Host opinion: John Collins looked lost on offense, unsure where to be, cutting into drives and wandering. On defense he was really bad. at 28:39
- After that, Ausar Thompson played with Collins for a short, better stretch. Bickerstaff then brought in Duren and Javonte Green and dropped the small-ball-five look. at 29:43
- Collins was repeatedly late on off-ball rotations and had miscommunications with Duncan Robinson. at 30:06
- Host opinion: he disliked the Collins-Duren minutes, and the offseason concerns about Collins's signing and fit showed up right away. He says it is only one game. at 30:24
“Detroit Pistons STUN Boston Celtics With Unbelievable Second-Half Comeback Led By... Javonte Green!?” · listen ↗
- Podcast Locked On Pistons · Analysis ·
Hunter said John Collins wasn't as comfortable as he could be, but Hunter thinks he will get better.
“PISTONS POSTCAST: COMEBACK WIN! Pistons BEAT Celtics | Postgame Show: Lindsey Hunter & Jake Riepma” at 7:17 · listen ↗
- Podcast Locked On NBA host · Analysis · name not confirmed around the league
A host Matt said John Collins is Detroit's only new starter and is being compared to Tobias Harris, so a bad first game would draw scrutiny.
“LeBron vs. Knicks! Wemby vs. Thunder! NBA Opening Day Preview” at 29:11 · listen ↗
- Podcast Locked On Hawks · 2 points ·
- The hosts say Detroit added John Collins and Isaiah Joe, among others. They list Tobias Harris, Caris LeVert, Isaiah Stewart and Marcus Sasser as departures. at 3:29
- A host's analysis: John Collins is a play finisher, not a creator like Tobias Harris was. He should play well off Cade Cunningham and give Detroit a second pick-and-roll option. at 8:07
“Central Division preview and over/unders (with Robby Kalland)” · listen ↗
- Podcast Locked On Pistons · 7 points ·
- The host lists the new players as Isaiah Joe and John Collins. He also counts Kevin Huerter as new, because he played only about six games last year before getting hurt. at 19:13
- The guest says John Collins is basically the replacement for Tobias Harris, though not a like-for-like one, because he lacks Harris's isolation skill. at 20:04
- The guest says Collins can roll or pop as a screener, and that he was seen popping once in the previous day's preseason game. at 20:37
- The guest doesn't think Collins is a great defender, but says he adds size to the front line. at 20:46
- The guest doesn't think adding Isaiah Joe or John Collins, whom he calls offense-leaning, fixes the team's lack of two-way lineups. at 26:29
- The host's biggest question about the offseason is whether the team added a secondary creator or a high-volume frontcourt shooter. He says Collins and Tobias Harris are both low-volume shooters. at 25:47
- The host guesses that the versatility talk may refer to small-ball minutes with John Collins at center surrounded by spacing. at 31:21
“Will Detroit Pistons' UNIQUE YOUNG Trio Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren BREAK the Mold?” · listen ↗
- Podcast Locked On Pistons · 2 points ·
- Duren ran inverted pick and rolls with other guards while Cunningham was on the weak side. In one Duren–John Collins pick and roll, Duren was the ball handler; it ended with the ball knocked out of bounds. at 16:14
- Greg Kelser; John Collins (reported): The host relays that broadcaster Greg Kelser, and John Collins in his halftime interview, both mentioned that Duren came out to send a message. Their exact words are not quoted. at 7:47
“ELECTRIC: Detroit Pistons’ Jalen Duren DOMINATES, Cade Cunningham & Ausar Thompson Impress!” · listen ↗
- Podcast Locked On Pistons · 8 points ·
- Ku Khahil: John Collins hasn't played well individually through two preseason games: poor shooting (he refers to shooting 0% from three) and, in the host's view, poor rebounding. at 15:45
- Ku Khahil: Host analysis: the Pistons have been very bad on the glass with John Collins at small-ball 5, in both preseason games. at 17:26
- Ku Khahil: Small-ball 5 offense: the team has run five-out spacing with Ausar Thompson or Daniss Jenkins on the ball. There was only one possession of Asar, Ronald Holland II and Collins together. The host says it hasn't produced great offense yet, and the sample is small. at 16:54
- unnamed reporters who covered John Collins (reported): Relayed: the host says several people who covered John Collins in Atlanta, Utah and with the Clippers told him the small-ball 5 experiment looked promising there at first, but the team couldn't rebound or defend and abandoned it partway through the season. at 17:48
- A reporter (reported; name unclear in the audio): Relayed: in a summer podcast exchange, D. Leon, who covers the NBA and the Hawks, said the biggest concern for the Pistons was the defensive downgrade from Tobias to John Collins. at 20:55
- Ku Khahil: Host analysis: through two preseason games, the team hasn't defended well with John Collins on the floor. It hasn't secured defensive rebounds, has allowed paint touches, has had little rim protection, and Collins himself has caused problems in the half-court defense at times. at 21:27
- Ku Khahil: Host prediction (conditional): the Collins small-ball and defense issue is the host's biggest concern for the team; if it continues in the regular season, the Pistons will be in trouble. at 22:13
- Ku Khahil: Host analysis: compared with Tobias, Collins is the better off-ball player, finisher, catch-and-shoot shooter, cutter and offensive rebounder, but he isn't on Tobias's level at creating his own shot. at 20:08
“Ausar Thompson Poor Performance, ROUGH John Collins Small-Ball 5 Minutes FLASH in Game 2” · listen ↗
- Podcast Locked On Pistons host · Analysis ·
The rotation run-through starts with Cade (Cunningham), Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, John Collins and Jalen Duren, called "five". These are presented as the top five, though the word "starters" is not used.
“Will Moving Cade Cunningham OFF the Ball TRANSFORM the Detroit Pistons’ Offense?” at 16:20 · listen ↗
Podcast items are our short summaries of what was said, credited to who said it; posts and stories link to the original. Opinions and rumors are labelled as such and are not checked facts.
Game log
● = started2026-27 season
| Date | Opp | Min | Pts | Reb | Ast | 3PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 25 | @PHI W | 34 min | 16 pts | 11 reb | 0 ast | 2 3PM |
| Oct 23 | @MIA W | 29 min | 23 pts | 7 reb | 1 ast | 5 3PM |
| Oct 20 | BOS W | 25 min | 6 pts | 5 reb | 1 ast | 0 3PM |
2025-26 season (last season) · 70 games
| Date | Opp | Min | Pts | Reb | Ast | 3PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15 | GSW L | 21 min | 11 pts | 9 reb | 0 ast | 1 3PM |
| Apr 12 | GSW W | 21 min | 18 pts | 9 reb | 0 ast | 0 3PM |
| Apr 10 | @POR L | 13 min | 0 pts | 2 reb | 0 ast | 0 3PM |
| Apr 8 | OKC L | 27 min | 12 pts | 9 reb | 3 ast | 1 3PM |
| Apr 7 | DAL W | 28 min | 12 pts | 7 reb | 1 ast | 1 3PM |
| Apr 5 | @SAC W | 24 min | 25 pts | 4 reb | 2 ast | 4 3PM |
| Apr 2 | SAS L | 25 min | 15 pts | 6 reb | 0 ast | 0 3PM |
| Mar 31 | POR L | 31 min | 17 pts | 6 reb | 1 ast | 3 3PM |
| Mar 29 | @MIL W | 35 min | 22 pts | 3 reb | 3 ast | 0 3PM |
| Mar 27 | @IND W | 20 min | 5 pts | 6 reb | 1 ast | 1 3PM |
| Mar 25 | TOR W | 22 min | 0 pts | 5 reb | 0 ast | 0 3PM |
| Mar 21 | @DAL W | 29 min | 8 pts | 3 reb | 0 ast | 1 3PM |
| Mar 19 | @NOP L | 28 min | 18 pts | 8 reb | 1 ast | 3 3PM |
| Mar 18 | @NOP L | 24 min | 18 pts | 7 reb | 2 ast | 0 3PM |
| Mar 16 | SAS L | 26 min | 11 pts | 9 reb | 4 ast | 0 3PM |
| Mar 14 | SAC L | 20 min | 10 pts | 3 reb | 0 ast | 1 3PM |
| Mar 1 | NOP W | 25 min | 15 pts | 7 reb | 1 ast | 1 3PM |
| Feb 20 | @LAL L | 16 min | 12 pts | 1 reb | 0 ast | 1 3PM |
| Feb 19 | DEN W | 32 min | 11 pts | 12 reb | 4 ast | 1 3PM |
| Feb 11 | @HOU W | 35 min | 12 pts | 6 reb | 1 ast | 0 3PM |
| Feb 10 | @HOU L | 31 min | 17 pts | 8 reb | 1 ast | 0 3PM |
| Feb 8 | @MIN W | 29 min | 15 pts | 4 reb | 0 ast | 3 3PM |
| Feb 6 | @SAC W | 34 min | 22 pts | 7 reb | 1 ast | 1 3PM |
| Feb 4 | CLE L | 27 min | 19 pts | 7 reb | 0 ast | 0 3PM |
| Feb 2 | PHI L | 32 min | 15 pts | 7 reb | 2 ast | 2 3PM |
| Feb 1 | @PHX W | 28 min | 16 pts | 9 reb | 2 ast | 1 3PM |
| Jan 30 | @DEN L | 31 min | 18 pts | 6 reb | 4 ast | 4 3PM |
| Jan 27 | @UTA W | 23 min | 11 pts | 2 reb | 1 ast | 2 3PM |
| Jan 25 | BKN W | 26 min | 18 pts | 5 reb | 1 ast | 2 3PM |
| Jan 22 | LAL W | 33 min | 13 pts | 5 reb | 1 ast | 1 3PM |
| Jan 20 | @CHI L | 24 min | 23 pts | 0 reb | 1 ast | 5 3PM |
| Jan 19 | @WAS W | 26 min | 11 pts | 4 reb | 0 ast | 1 3PM |
| Jan 12 | CHA W | 30 min | 3 pts | 5 reb | 1 ast | 1 3PM |
| Jan 10 | @DET W | 37 min | 25 pts | 7 reb | 1 ast | 5 3PM |
| Jan 9 | @BKN W | 26 min | 16 pts | 4 reb | 0 ast | 2 3PM |
| Jan 7 | @NYK L | 33 min | 18 pts | 10 reb | 0 ast | 3 3PM |
| Jan 5 | GSW W | 39 min | 18 pts | 4 reb | 1 ast | 3 3PM |
| Jan 3 | BOS L | 29 min | 22 pts | 2 reb | 0 ast | 3 3PM |
| Jan 1 | UTA W | 20 min | 8 pts | 11 reb | 0 ast | 0 3PM |
| Dec 30 | SAC W | 22 min | 16 pts | 5 reb | 1 ast | 2 3PM |
| Dec 26 | @POR W | 19 min | 8 pts | 3 reb | 1 ast | 2 3PM |
| Dec 23 | HOU W | 29 min | 13 pts | 5 reb | 5 ast | 3 3PM |
| Dec 20 | LAL W | 32 min | 17 pts | 12 reb | 1 ast | 2 3PM |
| Dec 18 | @OKC L | 28 min | 20 pts | 4 reb | 2 ast | 1 3PM |
| Dec 15 | MEM L | 26 min | 10 pts | 2 reb | 1 ast | 0 3PM |
| Dec 11 | @HOU L | 24 min | 9 pts | 0 reb | 2 ast | 0 3PM |
| Dec 6 | @MIN L | 30 min | 12 pts | 2 reb | 0 ast | 2 3PM |
| Dec 5 | @MEM L | 25 min | 16 pts | 2 reb | 2 ast | 2 3PM |
| Dec 3 | @ATL W | 32 min | 15 pts | 9 reb | 1 ast | 0 3PM |
| Dec 1 | @MIA L | 25 min | 10 pts | 6 reb | 2 ast | 0 3PM |
| Nov 29 | DAL L | 36 min | 21 pts | 4 reb | 1 ast | 1 3PM |
| Nov 28 | MEM L | 33 min | 10 pts | 7 reb | 0 ast | 0 3PM |
| Nov 25 | @LAL L | 34 min | 18 pts | 5 reb | 1 ast | 4 3PM |
| Nov 23 | @CLE L | 30 min | 5 pts | 3 reb | 0 ast | 0 3PM |
| Nov 22 | @CHA W | 26 min | 10 pts | 7 reb | 0 ast | 1 3PM |
| Nov 20 | @ORL L | 25 min | 9 pts | 4 reb | 0 ast | 0 3PM |
| Nov 17 | @PHI L | 27 min | 11 pts | 7 reb | 0 ast | 0 3PM |
| Nov 16 | @BOS L | 30 min | 17 pts | 2 reb | 0 ast | 1 3PM |
| Nov 14 | @DAL W | 24 min | 8 pts | 3 reb | 0 ast | 0 3PM |
| Nov 12 | DEN L | 21 min | 2 pts | 4 reb | 0 ast | 0 3PM |
| Nov 10 | ATL L | 31 min | 9 pts | 7 reb | 0 ast | 1 3PM |
| Nov 8 | PHX L | 28 min | 19 pts | 4 reb | 2 ast | 2 3PM |
| Nov 6 | @PHX L | 23 min | 13 pts | 4 reb | 1 ast | 2 3PM |
| Nov 4 | OKC L | 25 min | 17 pts | 4 reb | 1 ast | 1 3PM |
| Nov 3 | MIA L | 25 min | 12 pts | 3 reb | 0 ast | 2 3PM |
| Oct 31 | NOP W | 19 min | 14 pts | 3 reb | 1 ast | 1 3PM |
| Oct 28 | @GSW L | 23 min | 5 pts | 7 reb | 0 ast | 0 3PM |
| Oct 26 | POR W | 26 min | 16 pts | 6 reb | 1 ast | 1 3PM |
| Oct 24 | PHX W | 24 min | 10 pts | 6 reb | 2 ast | 0 3PM |
| Oct 22 | @UTA L | 28 min | 14 pts | 7 reb | 1 ast | 1 3PM |
How his numbers change by situation, with four seasons of history →
Predictions about him
how calls are trackedWaiting 1
- Waiting Locked On Pistons (show): John Collins will be better offensively this season than last season.
2026-10-22 · Podcast · by 2027-04-12 Flag