Detroit Pistons: Making A Case For Brandon Jennings

For a time in January 2015, Brandon Jennings was the toast of the Motor City sports scene.

No, I’m serious. The Detroit Lions had broken everybody’s hearts in the Wild Card game at Dallas, the bad taste of the Detroit Tigers being swept in the ALDS was still in everybody’s mouth, and most people really don’t pay attention to hockey until it’s playoff time.

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So, for a short time, the Detroit Pistons had the shine, as they were able to go 12-3 from Dec. 26 (the first game of the post-Josh Smith era) to Jan. 24 (the date of Jennings’ season-ending injury).

Jennings was the catalyst behind this run, running the offense to near-perfection and creating for others the way that he’s always been capable of doing, but never actually fully committed himself to. He even provided Pistons fans with this memorable play:

It was the single most exciting Pistons moment in years, and it was the signature moment of the Pistons’ run that almost had them on the brink of NBA relevance.

Then, in a cruel twist of fate, just when Jennings seemed to be figuring things out and playing the best basketball of his entire career, this happened:

I still remember the extreme feeling of disappointment when I read on Twitter that the injury was serious. My excitement level for the Pistons was higher than it’d been in forever, and I was thoroughly enjoying seeing the franchise bounce back onto the radar of sports fans in Southeast Michigan. After 2013-14 and the 5-23 start in 2014-15, the way that the team was playing and the buzz surrounding it seemed surreal.

All of that hoopla effectively ended the night of Jennings’ injury, as the team stumbled their way to a 32-50 finish.

Jennings’ injury was a torn Achilles, as you probably know, and it remains one that can be extremely difficult to come back from and be full strength. His tweets remain positive and upbeat, and he seems excited for the upcoming season with the new-look squad.

That new-look squad now includes point guard Steve Blake, and the acquisition of Blake left some to wonder whether or not it implied anything about the way that Jennings’ recovery was going.

I would have to guess that this means Brandon Jennings' rehab isn't going splendid? Or that SVG has lost confidence in Dinwiddie?
— PistonPowered (@PistonPowered) July 13, 2015

With the Pistons also now having committed $80 million over the next five years to Reggie Jackson, many have suggested that the end for Jennings as a Piston is near.

In the long-term, that’s potentially true. Unless his injury significantly limits what he can do on the basketball court for the rest of his career, it’s hard to foresee Jennings not wanting to be somebody’s starting point guard again.

But there is one year left on his current contract, and some fans have lobbied for the Pistons to get rid of him as soon as possible, with the hope of getting an asset in return or to shed salary. Some just want to get rid of Brandon Jennings for the sake of getting rid of Brandon Jennings, as his name is still (wrongly) somewhat synonymous with Josh Smith’s in terms of guys that define the current era of Pistons’ ineptitude.

If you’re already marking 2015-16 as a loss and hoping for the team to tank, then by all means, get rid of Brandon Jennings in a salary dump or to grab future draft picks. But if you’re trying to get into the playoffs or perhaps even nab a top six seed in what will be a weak Eastern Conference once again, Jennings could play a vital role.

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Over the past few seasons, the Pistons have struggled scoring and creating decent looks with certain lineups on the floor. With the first unit, Reggie Jackson should be able to consistently either get to the rim or penetrate and kick to a shooter. If he has, say even a 90 percent Jennings to spell him, that provides the Pistons with a starter-level player as their backup point guard and sixth man off the bench. It’s been a long time since the franchise has had such a luxury.

Jennings is also a better shooter than Jackson is, and there’ll be plenty of nights where Stan Van Gundy will just ride with him down the stretch because he’s got the hot hand that night. Both players can be streaky, but having both on the roster and in the regular rotation hedges against the risk of one player’s off night being too costly for the team.

The Pistons will be bringing guys like Jodie Meeks, Anthony Tolliver and rookie Stanley Johnson off the bench. All are capable shooters, and all would benefit greatly with the threat of Jennings as a scorer and distributor on the floor. Jennings would also provide big time insurance should Jackson ever have to miss games at any point. With the way that last season went in the NBA in regards to injuries, it’s important that we don’t assume the full health of all players when trying to project how good a team is going to be.

Of course, Jennings will have to be healthy himself to actually play a crucial role and that is by no means a guarantee. No timetable has been set for his return and we really haven’t heard anything concrete in regards to how his rehab is going.

However, the fact is that you’re not going to get anything close to equal value for him right now because of the injury. If the Pistons and SVG stick with him though, they may find themselves with a true quality sixth man for the first time since the days of Antonio McDyess.

Next: Houston Rockets: Absorbing The Blow Of Josh Smith's Departure

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