DALLAS, TX - Every time that Ben and Collin Johns lose a men’s doubles match, the internet explodes with people discussing whether Ben needs a different partner. After they lost in San Clemente, to Hayden Patriquin and Pablo Tellez in the quarterfinals, the result was the same; immediately, amateurs started arguing that the Johns needed to break up. As usual, the comments were 90% placing the blame on Collin, saying Ben needed to move on to a “better” partner.

 

When the Johns lose, and the internet chatter heats up, I have uniformly stuck up for Collin Johns. I have long argued Collin is a great right side player and that his game meshes well with Ben’s game. I have also pointed out the synergy they have, that a new partner for Ben would not enjoy. However, watching the San Clemente tournament closely, and the quarterfinal match specifically, made me once again rethink this issue: would Ben Johns benefit from a change of men’s doubles partner?

 

 

The Johns have been the dominant men’s doubles team now for a long time. Ben has been the #1 player (and he still is, regardless of PPA total points). Collin basically plays to be a non-factor. That is a compliment. Collin’s role has been to keep the ball in play, to force the other team to hit to Ben and play against Ben. Collin supplies little offense. He almost always drops, not drives; he rarely speeds up; he rarely lobs or tries to force any resolution of the point; he resets and rarely counters; his dinks are routine, simple crosscourt forehands; again, his role is to keep the point alive until Ben gets a chance to win the rally. Collin takes about a third of the court, and forces the opponent to play the other two-thirds of the court, daring them to beat Ben. As it is hard to beat Ben Johns, this has been a very successful strategy.

 

The Johns have lost more in 2024 than ever before. Why? Is it because Collin has played poorly, or are there other reasons? If you have been a fan of pro pickleball for more than a year, then you will have seen the game change. Those changes affect the Johns, as they affect everyone else. First, the paddles are different. Paddles today are different, better, and more powerful than they were a year ago. They are night and day different from three to five years ago. Second, the ball is different. The Vulcan ball is different from a Dura, and rewards topspin more. The prevalence of topspin is arguably the most significant development in pickleball in the last five years. It has completely changed the game. Third, the players are different. They are much better and there are more of them. Just a year ago, top seeds could anticipate an easy round or two in an event. Not so today. Now, every match in the round of 16 forward is difficult, and many first or second round matchups are very competitive, even for top players.

 

All of the foregoing changes have modified what a men’s doubles game looks like. In the NFL, there are ebbs and flows to the balance of offense and defense. Some changes encourage offense, some encourage defense. It is the same in pickleball. Before 2024, defense in men’s doubles was king. Drop your third, get to the line, dink effectively, and wait for a pop up to attack. If you are attacked, reset and resume dinking. This was the winning style and the style of the very top teams. They just did it over and over and challenged the opponents to lose in the dink game or speed it up and lose that way.

 

But 2024 men’s doubles is different. Now offense is having its day in the sun. Driving the third shot is much more common. While drives don’t win a lot of points outright, they do win some. Drives can be winners, the block may be missed, or the block is left up for a winner off the shake and bake. At worst, the block is typically not hit for a winner, so the driver then drops the fifth shot. Once at the line, again we see more offense than was previously true. Speedups off the bounce are more effective due to more topspin (and more overall speed). When blocking, players can now counter much more effectively, rather than just resetting (a counter is a block that offensively tries to win the rally; a reset is a block that just attempts to restore the rally to a dink game). Indeed, I would argue that the biggest value of the more powerful paddles is in making counters easier and more effective. I can see that in my own game, where I have more counters for winners today than ever before, all because of the paddle.

 

How do the changes to pro pickleball relate to the Ben and Collin Johns partnership? Collin’s game has not adapted well to 2024 pickleball. He still does not have a good drive, nor does he try to drive much. He does not speedup very much and his speedups happen when he has an easy opening; he does not have an effective topspin speedup. When attacked, he resets rather than counters the vast majority of the time. In talking to other pros, they recognize that Collin can be attacked without too much risk. A poor speedup usually will result in Collin resetting, rather than countering and winning the rally. Conversely, a bad speedup at Ben Johns will result in a very effective counter and the point is over.

 

When Ben and Collin Johns lose, they lose because they get out-offensed. Rarely if ever do the Johns make more mistakes than the opponents. But, the opponents will go on offense much more than the Johns. They will speed up much more, drive more, and attack more. The majority of the attacks are aimed at Collin. Collin remains an excellent defensive player, but his lack of offense is what leads to the increasing number of defeats.

 

 

All of this leads us to the original question, should Ben Johns pair with someone other than Collin Johns going forward? Up to now, I have always said no, but now I have to change my mind. I think because of the changes in the game, that Ben would be better served with a partner who can play great defense but also supply some offense. A player who, if attacked, can counter and win rallies with that counter. Here are some possibilities:

 

1. Gabe Tardio. He would be my first choice, Tardio is finally getting some deserved recognition. His counter is excellent, when his feet are set. Next to Ben, Gabe would not have to cover much court, so he would be set. He also has some sneaky speedups. His drive is adequate. He can dink at least as well as Collin. Overall, I think Gabe would be a net positive for Ben, adding some offense while still playing solid defense. Tardio is also young so he can improve and he could pair with Ben for years, to achieve the synergy Ben now enjoys with Collin.

 

2. Riley Newman. This would be a great pairing, but put it down as “never happen”. Riley has the game to be a top notch right side player. He has great defense, can counter, can dink well, and can add sneaky speedups with his backhand. People see Riley on the left and think of him as a top dog, left side dominant player, but if you look at his game, it can translate very well to the right side.

 

3. Augie Ge. Ben has always been quoted as saying he thinks a lefty/righty combo is the best combination. Well, this would be his chance to prove it. Augie is just solid all around. Like the other players on this list, his reason for being considered is the addition he brings to the offensive side. His backhand drive is sneaky good.

 

4. Matt Wright. Ben has tried this combo before, both once in 2024, and earlier. Ben would have success with Matt, but then Ben would have success with just about anyone. The question is whether a different partner would add anything that Collin lacks, and be a net positive. Matt’s game is fairly similar to Collin’s game. Matt does add a better drive. Matt speeds up more, but as has been shown before, his speedups are not generally effective. He counters a little better than Collin, but his dinking is not as good. Overall, I don’t see Matt as adding anything over what Collin does; again, Matt and Ben would have success, but not more than Ben has with Collin.

 

5. Hayden Patriquin. Here’s my sleeper pick. As with Riley Newman, we most often see Patriquin on the left, so he is not the first person we think of for the right side. But, he won a gold with Federico Staksrud playing right side, so we know he can do it. He has a versatile game, and can definitely add offense. He has fast hands, although he can improve on consistency with his counters. As with Tardio, Patriquin is a pick that could pair with Ben for several years.

Well, those are my picks. What do you think? New partner or stick with Collin? If Ben does stick with Collin, they will have success. But, their rate of success will be like 2024 has been up to now. It’s a very competitive PPA Tour, and no one should expect Ben and Collin (or Ben and anyone else) to dominate as they once did. There are just too many good players, and the nature of the game has changed, making results more unpredictable in the men’s doubles game.

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