Detroit Pistons: Keys to Sustaining Stunning Turnaround
Brandon Jennings
Directly after Josh Smith was waived, a new question entered Stan Van Gundy’s office. If not from the team itself, then from the fans of both the Detroit Pistons and the NBA in its entirety.
“When will the Pistons get rid of Brandon Jennings?
If Jennings continues to play at his current level, it won’t happen any time soon.
Over the past five games, Jennings is averaging 21.6 points, 5.6 assists, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 3.4 3-point field goals made. He’s doing so on an incredible slash line of .558/.486/.833.
That’s a far cry from his season shooting percentages of .408/.366/.851.
Whether Smith’s departure was a wakeup call or simply coincidental, Jennings has stepped his game up in a major way. Long known for having star-caliber talent, he’s finally displaying a sense of on-court discipline.
No one’s expecting Jennings to shoot 55.8 percent from the field or 48.6 percent from beyond the arc, but these are the caliber performances that Detroit needs out of its point guard.
If Jennings maintains an efficient scoring pace while facilitating at a respectable level, Detroit will continue to build upon this surprising turnaround.
If he doesn’t, it won’t.