Ben and Collin Johns SPLITTING UP in 2025! - Zane’s Take

[@szclear]

C.J Klinger will be the best choice. The kid has silky smooth dinking skills, fast hand and also very easygoing personality

[@danskiludvik8358]

As a solid 3.5+, I am available.

[@eduardo29494]

if he dont take you im available (2.0)

[@danskiludvik8358]

@@eduardo29494 Amazingly, my phone has yet to ring, so you may be in.

[@ZaneNavratilPickleball]

What a martyr!

[@russbilderback]

@@ZaneNavratilPickleball I've seen your name come up a couple times as a possibility when KZbin'rs have discussed who should take Collin's place. Would you be interested if asked?

[@HeavyAndLow]

If I was Ben I'd be asking CJ Klinger to partner with me in 2025. CJ is the real deal and his personality works with pretty much anyone.

[@firedog1003]

I can think of 10 guys that could fill the position, but I would really like to see what would happen if Ben and Klinger got together...

[@Lorenzo-h7b]

CJ Klinger. I think he has some of the quickest hands. He has the right personality and won't mind playing 2nd fiddle to Ben. In MLP, the difference in skill between CJ and Jack Sock was large.

[@rickrzendzian2228]

IMHO The future in pro pickleball men's doubles is lefty, righty combinations. I really like CJ Klinger he is fearless, long, lefty, hungry, has a stoic personality, young and trainable. Ben take a look at the kid.

[@dennyvincent2395]

You described CJ perfectly. From CJ to CJ Rev. 1! haha

[@Gary-W]

Gabe or Augie.. Ge's personality is a perfect fit for Ben.

[@meizhou2275]

And good for China market. Huge market

[@DJ-xu1qo]

agree with augie ge

[@DJ-xu1qo]

im always team gucci zane.. i think zane can mesh with anyone… zane if you see this hit me up if you need a partner

[@gabeanderson8816]

Gabe better than Ge because he can also raise Ben’s emotional level. Caveat being that both Ben and Gabe are prone to absorbing partner energy. Ben looks lethargic with Collin and he looks energized with ALW. How would they affect each other’s energy? Ge seems emotionally very steady. But nowadays, need a lot of offense on the right á la Hayden

[@ZaneNavratilPickleball]

Augie is a good fit personality wise, but I don't see that happening quite yet

[@kidbroman922]

Believe it or not, I would pair up Ben with InZane Nav. InZane's consistency and shot selection/execution is second to none. I believe that he is a top 10 doubles player who can play either side and if Ben gets injured, InZane can finish out the match by playing Singles😁

[@greenbox00000]

Plot twist: Zane is the new partner. Also, I think Collin's playing days are done after this. He'll probably hang around for a while, but he isn't winning. If Ben himself can't compensate for Collin's liability, no one can.

[@califilipino]

If Ben partners with Gabe it's over for everyone else. Hayden should stay with Fed they're nuts together. Since JW and Dillon are splitting I'd like to see Dillon play with James. You Zane should ask JW to team up lol.

[@wolf-xf6hf]

Dylan*

[@ZaneNavratilPickleball]

Agree on all of those points, but not sure how DF would play with Jimmy. JW and I are undefeated together....

[@HeathTaskis]

Couldn’t see Gabe choosing Ben over JW. Christian would work, is his personality dissimilar to ALW? What about Auge?

[@PickleShooters]

I am on the CJ Klinger train!!! He is so skilled. Would be a great partner for Ben!! Trading one CJ for another😁😁😁

[@dennyvincent2395]

I'm with ya on that one! But ain't gonna happen.

[@PickleShooters]

@ You're probably right... We can dream tho!!

[@ZaneNavratilPickleball]

I think this one could be possible in 26! Love CJ's trajectory

[@PickleShooters]

@@ZaneNavratilPickleball I'm just on that lefty right combo train!! Augie or CJ would be great for Ben!

[@chea7z913]

The real issue is will Ben adapt to his partner. Look at ALW, she wants to tear up the court but takes a back seat for Ben. I personally think Ben needs someone like Gabe but not if he has to take a back seat. This will have everything to do with Ben and not his partner

[@Meow-yt1yp]

Daescu on the right or left. He’s the consistent player, great hand speed and reach! CJ would be great for Ben too

[@scottmanthey3549]

Would be a huge change for Ben to play with a lefty full time. as many have suggested. Not saying he can't, but Ben likes to take up too much of the court to not bang paddles in the middle. I play with a lefty and it takes I ton of practice to know who takes what and Ben doesn't need it.

[@dougrizzo4298]

As a solid left handed 2.5 player, I’m probably his best option in all honesty.

[@kenthomas1609]

AUGIE GE: Ben often mentions how being a lefty is a big advantage. Klinger Gabe Tardio Quang Duong Big H Ben is young, and these players are also young. "Ben and Augie would be unstoppable."

[@Bob_DaBuilder-i3x]

I have a feel that Ben would hate playing with Quang. Ben has a much more measured approach to the game. Klinger Tardio and Ge would all be great fits, I think. I would love to see Frazier play his right side, but I heard Frazier stopped playing with JW because he wants to play left.

[@MrGUSARIK]

I'd like to see him partnering with you. I mean it. You would the rightsider Ben needs: skilled, adaptable aggressive, professional.

[@ZaneNavratilPickleball]

I think we would do well together of course, but I don't see it happening haha. Plus, I like carrying travis too much

[@greenbox00000]

@@ZaneNavratilPickleball shots fired 🔫😂

[@DannyBPlays]

Gabe, Hayden, Dillon. He'd win gold easily with any of them on the right

[@ancientwaymedia]

Tardio is a solid option if they can mesh. Seems like the best situation.

[@radoda]

Definitely Ben and JW would be a Dream Team...

[@izziic4527]

Ok here our my thoughts, lmk if you agree or not. Collin: if he separates from Ben Johns he's either gonna have to starting training to be aggressive or get another teammate that's aggressive to replace Ben, either way Collin needs to step it up with his pace. Ben Johns: We all know Ben is a pretty chill guy when playing and is very good at having a mental game and staying focused. Ben is most likely going to pick someone with that same mentality that is agressive like Augie, or possibly Gabe, however, I believe Augie has the best attitude out of most pros and that might benefit Ben in his game and the team chemistry. However, Augie is a great player he will need to step it up to compete at the highest level. I believe Ben wont stick with someone for 2025, I think he will try with a lot of different people to see what is working best as the game progresses. Once he finds his best match then we might continue to see more of that partnership. Let me know if you all agree

[@rburnsiv]

I actually don't agree. Ben and Anna Leigh are almost unstoppable in mixed and AL is anything but chill out there. Ben's chill coupled with AL's aggressiveness and fire actually gets the best out of Ben.

[@izziic4527]

@@rburnsiv I was talking about mens doubles, I agree with your statement about Al shes a good fit!

[@ZaneNavratilPickleball]

I do think some energy in a teammate is good for Ben. The scouting report on Ben is to try and lul him to sleep

[@johnfisher6149]

Federico Staksrud would be the best choice for Ben’s partner, but whether or not Fed would be comfortable playing with Ben.

[@kento1957]

Who currently is the highest ranked lefty? That might make a good partner. Ben has mentioned the lefty/righty pair as having a strategic edge.

[@gabeanderson8816]

Pablo Tellez and ain’t no way that’s happening. Probably Ge and Loong, but Loong has proven he doesn’t give Ben as much space as he needs. Hayden or Tardio are better on the right than Tellez though.

[@califilipino]

Ben doesn’t need a lefty because be likes to take middle anyway. A righty is better so they can cover line.

[@ZaneNavratilPickleball]

Pablo, CJ, Munro, Augie. I don't think they're ready yet

[@BlGSac]

It's been confirmed by Dave Fleming who said Collin told him directly. As for my partner choice, because I know it will never happen. I want JW on the right for Ben Johns.

[@ZaneNavratilPickleball]

It would be interesting to see JW on the right more. Historically it's not been good.

[@BlGSac]

@@ZaneNavratilPickleball On that note, do you think Ben on the right is a possibility if he were to play with JW? And do you think that would be good enough?

[@KTCHNPickleball]

It’s crazy to think how much the game has changed in just a year!

[@kenthomas1609]

Can't wait to see who Ben teams up with. I also think Ben and Zane would be the perfect match. Zane has fun and he's a winner!!!

[@benpadilla7248]

OK . .with a DUPR of 4.003 and climbing fast to 5.0 with my Titan ball machine, I could vouch for a steady hand at right . . lol . 😃. plus decent success at squash and tennis over the last 40+ years !!! Seriously, though, Gabe would be great, but also JW . . . Klinger is also good. But, I also like the idea, stated before me in other comments, that retrofitting Collin with some new strategy and some aggressiveness could go a long way for Ben.

[@B4inSF]

This will be interesting to watch and see who Ben picks and who agrees to play with him. Aren’t the partnerships for 2025 pretty much set already? Maybe Ben should spend 2025 experimenting with partnerships a la Big H and several others. AND what about Collin? Will he continue to play? Can he adapt to the new hyper-aggressive Doubles play? Personally I like Ben with Augie or Klinger.

[@millisock]

I'd most love to see Alshon, but there's ZERO chances that happens. Probably Tardio

[@Bob_DaBuilder-i3x]

Alshon would be a terrible choice. I've lost count of how many times that kid's gotten in his feels and thrown matches.

[@lazyhusband]

I’d like to see BJ vs ALW to determine who the #1 player is

[@ujudith46]

Ben has had success with Tyler Loong

[@Ali_Shafai]

I think pairing with Martinez Vich might be interesting.

[@kidbroman922]

That team would be fun, interesting, exciting and would compete and beat most if not all.

[@DavidHester-im2of]

Ok. Ok. I am 70 year old,two bad knees, macular degeneration in one eye, and have a Dupler of 2.8. Give me a call Ben or Colin and we could talk terms. 😂

[@TheRealJoeMama-p2p]

Riley Newman 😂

[@BJJandBS]

As a serious player who is climbing on 3.2 at the moment, I will toss my hat in the ring.

[@ZaneNavratilPickleball]

Iconic!

[@BJJandBS]

🤣

[@gazillionairegazillionaire39]

Ben needs Zane Ford!

[@PickleballMomof3boys]

CJ Klinger 🎉

[@rickrzendzian2228]

I like CJ ..... very young, fearless, left handed and a reserved personality, I think Ben could mold CJ into his PB regiment. If I had Ben's ear I would highly recommend he give CJ a look.

[@timkepler3343]

Another insightful post. Thanks Zane!

[@chongqinghotpot]

Spot on. I would throw yourself there as a candidate for Ben’s partner.

[@georgeedginton2541]

I don't think they r splitting. They will adapt and be in the hunt. Sometimes it's takes obstacle to force growth. Ben has to rely on Colin being more aggressive, work on powering up his serve, returning with better strength and depth. Doesn't need to switch partners needs to restructure there roles Colin is trying to win by playing old style ball from pre covid era. Game has gotten better deeper faster. If you can't adapt your done. This will continue as the game is changing constantly

[@ltfl09]

Thomas wilson when he recovers

[@Zenon-fg4dw]

I think he would try out a number of players before deciding on a more stable partnership.

[@steveherceg4212]

Maybe Federico….I like the “chess board” in the background! Pickleball is like “chess” the one with the better strategy wins bar none!

[@BillFunke-v9y]

What’s going on with the chess set in the background?

[@linsu2854]

Personality wise, probably Auggie

[@HHHPedigrees]

Is Auggie even a full time pickleball player?

[@johngreen3587]

I saw plenty of matches where Collin played amazing I hope he proves some people wrong

[@dpeatebc7265]

Ben's only 25. He should still cover 75% of the court. I think Patriquin would be the best fit. I'm not as enamored of the lefty/righty pairing. The right side player should have a forehand for all those cross court dinks he's going to see.

[@yanicklegault3772]

Would be exciting to see Ben pairing with Augie... there s a lot of good lefty to choose from

[@lolokfdxtdxtd]

I was thinking Gabe too for all of the reasons you said. He's a lot more versatile than Colin, with better hands and more athleticism.

[@stevecrawford333]

Someone needs to lockdown Klinger

[@waisanuy]

It’s about time

[@user-jc6pr5el5g]

If Ben goes with another partner, I think he'll prioritize someone who lives close to him. He's so focused on the importance of drilling, I'd say Dekel is the frontrunner since you say they're friends, he lives in the area and he's the 5th ranked doubles player right now. He's not as good as Collin defensively, but he'll bring leap years better offense (and serve!). I like his fit with Dylan Frazier too, he should test that.

[@ZaneNavratilPickleball]

I think people are sleeping on Dekel a bit too much

[@Bob_DaBuilder-i3x]

@@ZaneNavratilPickleball Dekel is scary as hell when he's running hot, but I don't think he's as consistent as other contenders. Ben needs someone who is rock solid consistent, since they will see 85% of the balls.

[@chea7z913]

@@Bob_DaBuilder-i3x This is it exactly. It's why they had Collin originally be all defense.

[@Bob_DaBuilder-i3x]

@@chea7z913 Well someone like Frazier is rock solid consistent, but he also speeds up off the bounce, takes balls out of the air, etc. After this past weekend I have to agree Dekel is a beast, but I feel like he is better suited as a left sided player.

[@chea7z913]

@@Bob_DaBuilder-i3x Dekel is solid but you're right I think he runs too hot then cold. Didn't think of Frazier, you're right it's not a bad pick either. It will be very interesting to see how he moves forward

[@kvnmrn87]

I’d say Tyson McGuffin

[@russbilderback]

I'd like to see Ben partner with... Colin. And just see them/Colin adapt and tweak his playing style to adapt to the current strategies being used against them. The 2 live together and get to practice together for Hours EVERY day. NEVER underestimate that team/gelling affect. Ben won't get that with anyone else he partners with so even if he pairs with an Amazing partner the Team dynamic likely won't be as strong as it is with Colin. I'd stay with Colin and just adapt strategy and playing styles.

[@dragostego]

I'm sure he's probably retiring but I am maybe more interested in seeing Collins play with someone who doesn't take 80 percent of the court

[@kenthomas1609]

Collin won't make it too the 1/4 or semi finals

[@Xxsurfer4lifexX]

Would love to see a comeback with Kyle Yates and Ben

[@jonathanstaiger3870]

A lefty for sure. Probably Augie would be best but maybe CJ. You didn’t ask but Colin would be a really good fit for Riley.

[@normanxiong5614]

Matt IS a top 5 player out of all the players over the age of 45, playing rhe right side, with an onix paddle

[@trainwithkpr]

Don’t think it’s accurate to say they didn’t adapt appropriately. They still won a lot this year (second best team?). But when compared to previous results it seems like they failed to adapt.. or their first mover advantage just weakened.

[@michaelcravey8901]

I would like to see him team up with that Navratil kid. Would be fun to watch, but personalities may not mesh well.

[@michaelrossi6192]

Ben has been adapting his game - driving more - two handed backhand for not only dinks but drives.... Collin is great defensively but has little offense - and he's a crybaby - not strong mentally. Love to see Ben and Gabe.

[@Bob_DaBuilder-i3x]

I will miss the Colin John moments though. Yelling at the net, yelling about hating balls, et cetera. Peak pickleball meme material.

[@pmb123]

Id like to see him with Tyson. Tysons got a real solid right side

[@Tiberian64]

Do I see a chess board on your wall behind you? Let’s do a chess stream!

[@Squaredot01]

Ben and Tyler Loong would be a good partnership also!

[@KingJUDAH-jt4qo]

I would love to see Ben John’s and Federico stacksrud team up it would be total destruction for anyone in their path unless they face me 😂

[@wolf-xf6hf]

Feds not right side player though?

[@KingJUDAH-jt4qo]

@@wolf-xf6hf true

[@CareyFan]

Augie Ge. Come on....make it happen. Ge isn't known to be one of the top players. But he has literally everything you could want: athletic, dynamic when needed, super solid, LEFT handed and very, very smart on the court. He may not have the raw athleticism or instincts as Gabe Tardio or Hayden. But Ge is my choice. And I think they could be unbelievable together.

[@paulelkins425]

I'd like to see him partner up with Tyler Loong. They were lethal in MLP together where Tyler can play a supporting lefty and wreak havoc on their opponents with his constant Ernie attacks! Let's go Ernie King!

[@andretakada6631]

Nah Tyler’s falling off… doesn’t have a good two hander slices everything super high thirds, plus Ben takes so much court that it won’t be good for lefty righty in my opinion. Plus with I don’t think it will be good chemistry with jimmy and kotc stuff even though Tyler disagrees with what jimmy says

[@Humblegifts]

Ben and Big H would be really hard to beat

[@tyroneburris8981]

Ben and Jaume Martinez would be crazy!

[@DannyBPlays]

Does anyone stop to think maybe Ben enjoys this family bond that he's had? Ben will be playing pro 15+ more years, so maybe he prefers building memories with family and then in another few years can get a new permanent partner

[@kenthomas1609]

Ben does not like losing. After being on the top of the mountain.

[@greenbox00000]

He can make memories at home. This is a professional sports with stakes.

[@rogers2934]

Christian Alshon would be a perfect fit!

[@wolf-xf6hf]

They dont get along and christian is too erratic for Ben. Ben needs a fair amount of calm and christian is not calm. Christian is also just emotionally very up and down and feeds off of his partners energy as well as his own and Ben wont give him anything

[@rogers2934]

@@wolf-xf6hf I think that is why it would workout better. One partner is level headed and another one is aggressive. I think Ben needs a partner like that for a change

[@albertopazos6581]

With me honestly 😊

[@ponkey8569]

Zane, what are your thoughts on Quang partnering up with Ben? Would that be an effective team?

[@gregcarpenter2311]

Gabe would be a good fit, but Dylan I think would be better! Lets go Ben Johns

[@wolf-xf6hf]

Its 100% gabe stylistically. Not only is Gabe the best right side player right now but Gabe thrives when he is able to play big on the right with big left side players. Look at andre daescu for example he is a big dude that plays a big left and gabe often is competing with him for balls in the middle and they were very very strong this year being imo the fourth strongest pairing behind the johns brother, jw and dylan, and fed and hayden. Gabe however doesnt find as much success when playing a big right with a smaller left like with hayden, they are for sure a great time but on paper they should see so much more success than they did because hayden doesnt play a big enough left for Gabe. Ben plays the biggest left side right now in mens doubles but in a very consistent way that I think would gel with gabe better than a comparable left side player but who’s more erratic like christian

[@JasonDeats]

JW, Tardio, Big H, Christian, Frazier. Not Barr.

[@williamduval9856]

Ben and Quang will be crazy, they can feed off each other skills and energy. It will be insane for Pickleball sports and fan. Sell out seats everywhere they play. Quang still young and learning, he’s only gettin better, his work ethic is unmatched.Mark my word …

[@wolf-xf6hf]

Quang is probably the worst top 20 player that ben could pick. Quang has shown that he just can’t play the right with his current skill set and as such that would mean Ben either has to play the right, not happening, or Quang plays the right in which case there are probably 20 better options minimum than Quang. At that point I would even take Colin above Quang as a right side player but Ben could choose at minimum from, gabe, hayden, alshon, dylan, dekel, james, tyson, wright, jaume, or for even Zane himself all of which are much better right side players than Quang

[@lotherapper]

What about Pablo tellez 👀

[@wolf-xf6hf]

Clinger would be a better choice stylistically and auge is a better choice emotionally. Tellez isnt a bad fit unlike everyone losing their minds saying quang but definitely not the best. If he is going to go for a lefty thats not auge or clinger it’ll probably be loong as they’ve played together and get along well

[@HHHPedigrees]

Anyone think Connor Garnett would be a perfect partner for Ben Johns?

[@kenthomas1609]

I think Garnett would be a great partner. Skills and personality

[@MortgagePlannerTom]

Klinger

[@thegoldenrooster8376]

maybe cause of the ball theyre using,? they hate the vulcan?

[@edwardlacalifornia9634]

Thanks Zane, 😂😂😂 Ben’s backhand is awesome, don’t know if he would give it up on being on the Left side. That would be interesting 🤔 Younger, quicker, player with Ben. . . He did it with ALW when Simone decided to step down. Really liked her and Ben playing together 👏👏👏

[@KevinDouglas-e7y]

Augie, Klinger or Tardio

[@mikemacdonald6855]

Hunter Johnson

[@kento1957]

Skeptical a split will happen. Colin is actually the number one ranked PPA men's doubles player. Why in the world would Ben settle for someone lower ranked? My guess is they will change their game to be more competitive. Tardio is ranked 10. No way Ben would give up number 1 ranked Colin for number 10 Tardio.

[@wolf-xf6hf]

Because rankings, and I cannot stress this enough, do not mean shit. Colin is only top ranked because he played 1 tournament without Ben all of the other ranking points that he has are just riding off of Ben. Colin is nowhere close to even being a top 5 right side player right now he probably isnt even top 15 the only people that care about rankings are casual fans

[@lukemortensen801]

Colin is only number one because he plays with Ben. Look at mixes doubles, Ben is number 1 and it is not very close there. Colin and jones are ranked in the 20s.

[@VenkateshHodavdekar]

I think Zane should sacrifice and partner with Ben.

[@jbmedia8882]

I’d go with a leftie for Ben. CJ or Ge.

[@saigonproducer]

Ben and Q would be nuts

[@Merrlin]

They’re both ad side players but imagine Ben playing at deuce with his backhand flicks and Q putting away bombs would be fun to see

[@saigonproducer]

@ yeah that would be nuts

[@wolf-xf6hf]

Q cant play the right side for shit though atm

[@saigonproducer]

@@wolf-xf6hf put ben on right side. Let q go off on drives

[@wolf-xf6hf]

@ of all of the things ben could do this is the most wrong. Of all of the things that ben could in fact thing this is the absolute worst

[@ernest4483]

Between Gabe or Hayden or Augie

[@mariebujons6759]

JW Johnson

[@RideWithJosh696]

Ben and Christian Alshon , John Cincola, or Zane :)

[@elvissoto-vd5sq]

Cj Klinger young adaptable, and moldable.

[@ThanhTran-oz4qk]

Patrick Quinn, hands down.

[@heenan20]

Tyson

[@markfcal]

ALW’s father

[@pamelavendetti1844]

Best player in the world right behind ALW!

[@BTO-o9u]

Now I know his pregame routine. Thanks for the tip.

[@TruongHongThi]

Quang Duong

[@ltfl09]

quang stinks. Ben also doesn't like Quang because of singles

[@wolf-xf6hf]

Why does everyone keep saying this quang cant play the right side for shit right now

[@RobVanDam1591]

He needs to partner with you.

[@Yielar1]

I'd like to see Ben and Staksrud team up and see what they can do. Or maybe Chris Haworth

[@HHHPedigrees]

Staksrud is a left court player

[@wolf-xf6hf]

Staksrud is a left side player and haworth isnt even a top 30 doubles player atm

[@rockerobertson4002]

Federico !!