Brandon Jennings Finding His New Role

After sitting out of competition for 11 months, Brandon Jennings is finding his new role with the Detroit Pistons.

Detroit Pistons‘ point guard Brandon Jennings appears to be completely healthy in his five games back after suffering a torn left Achilles last season. Jennings has looked explosive on the offensive end, which is what the second unit has desperately needed.

Jennings has played exactly how one would expect, strong offensively and weak defensively. After his sophomore season, Jennings has never had a positive Defensive Box Plus or Minus (DBPM) rating. In fact, his DBPM has gotten worse every year.

Since the 2011-12 season, Jennings has been very good offensively. He has nearly two full offensive win shares compared to his defensive win shares in each season since then.

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On Monday night against the Magic, Jennings scored 17 points and had six assists. He did so on a 5-for-9 (55.6 percent) shooting night, including 3-for-4 (75 percent) from three-point range. Jennings had the attention of the NBA with a buzzer-beater to end the third quarter, too.

Monday marked his best performance of the four games he has played since returning from the injury.

Jennings, 26, has found his role as a reserve player. He could see a more increased role if he were to be traded and there have been rumors. Jennings will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer, which makes him a prime candidate to be traded. However, head coach Stan Van Gundy is inclined to keep Jennings, according to the Detroit Free Press’ Vince Ellis.

“You never have too many good players,” Van Gundy said. “From my standpoint, Brandon [Jennings] coming back to help things, if there’s a way we can work it to have him back, I would love that…

“He absolutely loves the game. I think Brandon does a lot for our team – even besides what he does on the court.”

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The New York media has speculated the Knicks interest in acquiring Jennings. The only deal that makes the most sense financially would send ex-Pistons Jose Calderon and Arron Afflalo back to Detroit. Though Jennings is currently on the trade block, a deal may still happen between now and the Feb. 18 trade deadline.

It doesn’t look likely that Jennings will be traded. The explosiveness he has shown driving to the basket and running the fast break proves that he is healthy. His three-point shot is one of the best on the team; only Anthony Tolliver and Ersan Ilyasova are shooting a better percentage this season.

Jennings may be coming off the bench, but he still has free rein to play the way he did as a starter. When he first came in to the league with the Bucks, he was taking 15.5 shots per game and was scoring 17.0 points per game. Over the four years in Milwaukee, Jennings developed into a flashy, athletic player. But he has matured since his move to the Pistons.

In Detroit, Jennings has seen his assist numbers go up and his scoring go down. He’s averaging 15.3 points and 7.2 assists per game as a Piston. Despite maturing into more of a team player, Jennings can utilize his athleticism with the team’s second unit. In fact, the bench needs Jennings to create shots for himself.

The Pistons bench is averaging a league-worst 24.1 points per game, according to Hoopsstats.com. Jennings has added 8.8 points per game through his four games this season.

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Jennings has room to grow as a shooter, but his addition to the bench will improve the team and give them a needed scorer. He may still be having an adjustment period after being out for 11 months, as indicated by his inconsistent play, but his 17-point performance on Monday proves that Jennings isn’t far away.