The Detroit Pistons are in a good spot, sitting near the top of the Eastern Conference with an 8-3 record. Given that they have been without Jalen Duren for almost the entire season, the Pistons must be happy with where they are.
But the Pistons can't afford to be complacent or let their foot off the gas. They are hoping to make a deep postseason run, and the league is more competitive than last season. Securing a top seed will be key to making a run to the NBA Finals, and winning 60 games will not be as easy.
This extends to the front office as well. GM Trajan Langdon can't look at the league landscape and the Pistons' standing and think that this team is good enough to win it all. Especially considering how asset-rich the Pistons are, it behooves them to be aggressive between now and the trade deadline.
Pistons have an under-the-radar weakness at power forward
There are obvious needs the team needs to address. Additional playmaking and scoring are still needed. What has gone under the radar amid the obsession with adding more offensive juice, however, is the power forward spot.
The Pistons replaced Tobias Harris with John Collins in the offseason. So far, this hasn't proven to be an upgrade. In fact, through the first 11 games of the season, Collins has been a weak link. The Pistons should seriously consider making a move to upgrade Collins' spot in the starting lineup.
It's not like Collins has been a disaster. He has mostly been fine. He is hitting 41.4% of his threes and averaging 10.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and a block in 26.4 minutes per game. But he has certainly not been good enough to be the starting power forward on a title contender.
The decline in Collins' game is clear after a deeper dive into his numbers. He has the lowest two-point field goal percentage of his career. He is going to the free-throw line less than ever. He is in the midst of his least efficient season.
Plus, there are the defensive concerns. The Pistons defend much worse with Collins on the floor. Detroit allows 13.5 more points per 100 possessions with Collins on the floor than when he is off, per Cleaning the Glass. He has the worst on/off rating (-21.9) on the team by a significant margin.
A big part of this is his inability to play center. JB Bickerstaff has been relying on him to be the small-ball five in Jalen Duren's absence, but Collins doesn't have the size and physicality to thrive in that role.
Detroit's center depth isn't what it used to be since Isaiah Stewart's departure. So, ideally, the power forward should be able to slide up to center when needed. Collins hasn't demonstrated that he can do that.
Collins is not a quality starter on either end of the floor. He is passable, but the Pistons should aim higher. Who will be on the trade block remains to be seen, but Detroit has the matching salary and draft capital to acquire whoever becomes available over the next couple of months.
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