What Brandon Jennings Injury Means For Detroit Pistons
Basketball was just looking like it was going to be fun again for the Detroit Pistons, as the team has been excelling on the court of late after a dreadful 5-23 start to the season.
Now, it appears that the joy and excitement will have to be on hold again, as Brandon Jennings had to leave the Pistons’ game Saturday night against the Milwaukee Bucks due to a leg injury.
Jennings left the game in a wheel chair, as he was unable to exit the arena under his own power. The injury looked rather serious, and head coach Stan Van Gundy didn’t have anything positive to say about it either.
“It doesn’t look good,” said Van Gundy, who also stated that Jennings will most likely be out for the foreseeable future.
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The Pistons ended up losing the game 101-86. Jennings’ exit was undoubtedly a big reason for the blowout.
I recently wrote about the impact that Jennings has had for the Pistons, as his improved shooting combined with his quickness and ability to penetrate the defense has led to Detroit being a real force in the East.
Ever since the team released forward Josh Smith, Jennings has had more shooters around him to operate with on offense, giving him a greater number of targets in the drive-and-kick game, ultimately leading to more assists and smoother execution overall.
Without players who can hit perimeter shots, Jennings is pressured more often to be a one-on-one scorer, and while he can be effective putting the ball in the basket, he is certainly not an efficient volume shooter.
Jennings took more leadership responsibilities since Smith left, and the team was really responding well and rallying around him. Jennings’ confidence was soaring through the roof, and the Pistons were playing like they really had a shot to get into the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Now with Jennings gone, things become a little more complicated for a team that already needed all the help it could get to have a chance at the postseason. Secondary point guard D.J. Augustin will be tasked with running the team as good if not better than Jennings was, which could prove to be too tall of a task when all is said and done.
Granted, Augustin was marginally successful guiding the Chicago Bulls to victories last season when they were without star point guard Derrick Rose, but he sits on the bench for a reason. Augustin is not a long-term replacement at the starting point guard position. He can be an above-average backup, but he hasn’t been able to rise above that role during his time in the NBA.
The Pistons will also more than likely get a better look at 2014 draft pick Spencer Dinwiddie, who is trying to make a full comeback from a serious ACL injury that left him sidelined last season at the University of Colorado. Dinwiddie is a long point guard capable of playing both back court positions. He is a capable floor general, and can even score in a variety of ways.
He will have to adjust to the speed of the game at the next level, but getting this kind of playing time will have a positive impact on his development.
Losing Jennings will mean giving up the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, leaving the Pistons hoping for the lottery’s ping pong balls to fall in their favor.
There are some talented wing players in the draft pool this year if all of them choose to leave college or come overseas, and Detroit could use a better defensive presence on the perimeter, so all may not be so bad in the end.
Jennings will be missed on the court, as the Pistons don’t have another point guard with his physical talents. Van Gundy will have to get creative if he wants to keep this team winning games.
Get well soon, Jennings.