As we leave July and enter August, the news cycle starts to really slow down when it comes to following the NBA and the Detroit Pistons. Through comments on my previous article regarding the Detroit Pistons playoff chances, it was noted by a few readers that Brandon Jennings may prove to be the wildcard in the Piston’s quest for a long awaited return to the playoffs.
I found that quite intriguing since the serious injury he suffered followed almost immediately by the team trading for Reggie Jackson.
I had long thought of Jennings time with the Pistons as good as over. I expected him to return from his injury and be given sufficient time to show he was healthy before being traded for further assets.
While giving Jackson $80 million reasons to believe he is the starting point guard, Stan Van Gundy then traded Quincy Miller for veteran point guard Steve Blake.
Now, the first thought I had when news of the Steve Blake acquisition was released was that there must have been issues with Brandon Jennings rehabilitation.
I’ve heard nothing to confirm a change of timetable. Jennings is still scheduled for a November/December return. While searching for an update on his rehabilitation I stumbled across two separate articles from completely different writers, one Making a Case for Brandon Jennings and one about How Brandon Jennings Changed My Mind. Both interesting articles and very much worth reading.
I finished both articles and ending up feeling completely different about Jennings. I no longer want Jennings back in hopes the Pistons can move him for a better fitting piece, I want Jennings back because I think he can be a huge asset to the Pistons if he’s willing to accept a role off the bench.
Can Detroit Pistons Brandon Jennings be 6th Man of the Year given his skill set?
I found a list that includes the previous winners of the sixth man of the year award. On it I found that 10 of the previous 11 winners were guards. Included in that list were guys like Jason Terry, Jamal Crawford (Twice) and the 2015 recipient Lou Williams–all of which are high volume scorers, very similar games to Brandon Jennings.
| MPG | PPG | APG | FG% | 3P% | ||
| 2014-15 | Brandon Jennings | 28.6 | 15.4 | 6.6 | 0.401 | 0.36 |
| 2014-15 | Lou Williams | 25.2 | 15.5 | 2.1 | 0.404 | 0.34 |
| 2013-14 | Jamal Crawford | 30.3 | 18.6 | 3.2 | 0.416 | 0.361 |
| 2008-09 | Jason Terry | 33.7 | 19.6 | 3.4 | 0.463 | 0.366 |
That’s the type of player I can see Jennings becoming if he does indeed accept a role behind Jackson. Before his injury he only averaged 28 minutes a game. He can easily get the same amount of minutes coming off the bench.
Van Gundy will have the opportunity to ride his hot hand when Jennings goes full “Swag” mode and can’t miss, albeit not as often we would all like.
Jennings has historically been a sub 40% shooter from the field but has shot a reasonable 35 percent from down town over his career. He statistically compares quite favorably to Lou Williams who the Lakers recently signed to a three year, $21 million contract this offseason. While with the Raptors, Williams averaged 15 points, 2 assists, and shot 34% from down town in only 25 minutes per game.
If Jennings can return in November as expected, and accepts an important role off the bench, I can see him be a similar scorer to Williams–though I think he could even average a couple more assists per game.
If–and this is a big if–he can get back on the court and average 28 minutes per game like he did before he was injured, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him average 16-17 points a game, 5-6 assists.
I also believe Jackson and Jennings can spend some time together in the back court, similar to what Jackson was able to achieve in Oklahoma City alongside Russell Westbrook. In this case Jackson can slide over to the shooting guard position for short periods allowing two very good ball handlers on the court together. I’m intrigued to see how that back court would go defensively but it would prove quite versatile on offense.
If he can keep his overall field goal percentage over 40 percent and help the Pistons to a run at the eighth seed in the East, he would be the type of player that in recent times receives the sixth man award.
I’d like to thank PistonPowered’s very own Chris Crowder and David Hughes, their articles opened my eyes to Jenning’s skill set and ability to be a very good scorer off the bench. Without their articles, I’m afraid I would still be finding trade targets for his expiring contract, and I now believe he is more valuable to the Pistons than what he would return in a trade.
Do you think Brandon Jennings is a legitimate candidate for the 2016 Sixth Man of the Year Award, the first Piston to do so since Corliss Williamson in 2001-02?
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