The Pistons have played against two Eastern Conference powerhouses coming into the year and have been able to defeat them in two different ways. Against the Celtics, they were able to overcome a 20-point deficit and win the game.

This game against the Heat it was a beatdown from start to finish with being up double digits at halftime then after three quarters it was 103 to 80 with two players making their presecne known.

John Collins showed us exactly why the Pistons brought him in tonight in a convincing win against the Heat

23 points
7 rebounds
5/6 from 3

The floor spacer at the 4 the Pistons have desperately needed pic.twitter.com/YG4lIF91Ox

— PistonsThoughts (@PistonsThoughts) October 24, 2026

1. John Collins

John Collins led the team in scoring with 23 points and 7 rebounds, shooting 9 for 15 from the field and 5 for 6 from the 3-point line.

He was getting open shots and finding his spots to score, causing matchup problems for the Heat. This was the first game Collins broke out for the Pistons, and he may be one of the best pickups in the offseason for this team.

He provides great shooting and the ability to run the floor to help this Pistons offense not be as stagnant in the half-court. When Tobias Harris was on the team, there were a lot of mid-post-ups; with Collins, he does not need to have the ball in his hands to make plays.

2. Paul Reed

Paul Reed off the bench was a problem for the Miami Heat as he scored 19 points, going 8 for 11 from the field and grabbing 11 rebounds.

This is the kind of energy off the bench that this Pistons team thrives on, especially after losing their energy guy from last season, Isiah Stewart.

The hole in that tough interior big man off the bench may have been filled by Paul Reed's play against Giannis and Bam of the Heat. This was a statement win against another East rival on the road, with Reed and Collins leading the way.

Cade Cunningham still had a solid game with 16 points and eight assists but only taking eight shots.

This may come as a surprise, but Cunningham did not need to score this game because of the great play of Paul Reed and John Collins, which is special to have the superstar understand he does not have to get his when others are playing well.

There are so many weapons on this team for the Pistons, and they are going to need all these weapons to be on point with their next game being against another East powerhouse, the Philadelphia 76ers, on Oct 25 at 7:30 p.m.