The Detroit Pistons will have some cap space to use this offseason and will take a hard look at unrestricted free-agent guard Jalen Brunson, one of four potential targets who are playing well in the playoffs right now.
Brunson has had a breakout season, capped off last night by a career-high 41 points in the Mavericks’ game two win over the Utah Jazz.
Brunson has stepped up in the absence of Luka Doncic and led Dallas in scoring so far in the playoffs.
He’d be a nice fit with Cade Cunningham as a tough guard who can play on or off the ball, and Brunson is showing that he may have another level.
Jalen Brunson and Kyle Lowry
Brunson averaged 16.3 points, 4.8 assists and 3.9 rebounds for the Mavericks this season while shooting 37 percent from 3-point range on 3.2 attempts per game.
Brunson shoots 54 percent from 2-point range and is adept at getting into the paint to finish with floaters and runners. Though not an elite one-on-one defender, he’s a tough, two-way player who puts in the effort on that end.
He’s still just 25-years-old, so the Detroit Pistons would sign him hoping that he can continue to improve as he has every season of his career so far.
To be worth the max (or near max) contract it will likely take to get him, the Pistons would have to believe that Brunson has All-Star potential.
After putting up 41 points in a playoff game (against a very good defensive team) it appears that he does, and that next level might be Kyle Lowry.
Brunson actually has plenty in common with the six-time All-Star and could be that type of player for the Detroit Pistons.
Kyle Lowry and Jalen Brunson by the numbers
Kyle Lowry is a six-time All-Star who has won a title and was for a long time considered one of the best two-way point guards in the NBA, so it might seem a stretch to compare Brunson to him, but the two have a lot in common.
Just on the surface level, Lowry and Brunson are both the same size, just over six feet tall but making up for it with strength and toughness.
They both went to Villanova, a school that has been cranking out the types of players the Pistons want, including current Piston Saddiq Bey. Having a Villanova connection would not be the worst thing for Detroit, as their players are smart, well-coached and hard working.
And if you look at their stats, both Lowry and Brunson followed the same trajectory.
Both were somewhat late bloomers who didn’t average double digits until they were 24-years-old and then just kept getting better.
And just look at their 25-year-old numbers:
- Kyle Lowry-14.3 points, 6.6 assists. 4.5 rebounds, 37% from 3-point range on 4.5 attempts
- Jalen Brunson-16.3 points, 4.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 37% from 3-point range on 3.2 attempts
Brunson is actually a better scorer than Lowry was at the same age, and they shoot similarly from long range, though Lowry averaged more assists, which makes sense considering he wasn’t playing with Luka Doncic.
Brunson is the better finisher around the rim, as Lowry has never shot 54 percent from inside the arc in his career. Lowry is the better defender, but Brunson has shown some dawg on that end and isn’t a sieve.
Lowry continued to improve after age 25, making the All-Star team six times between age 28 and 33, so the Pistons would sign Brunson hoping that he can continue to follow Lowry’s career path and eventually be an All-Star level guard.
If his performance in the playoffs so far is any indication, Brunson might have that next level in him.
Jalen Brunson could play multiple roles for the Detroit Pistons
Another interesting similarity between Lowry and Brunson is that they are both able to play on or off the ball effectively.
Lowry always played with ball dominant wings like DeMar DeRozan or fellow lead guards like Fred VanVleet, so had to be adept at playing off the ball as well as leading the offense at times.
Brunson has played his entire career with Luka Doncic, who had the second-highest usage rate in the NBA this season, so he is a point guard who is used to playing with a ball-dominant player, as he would be on the Pistons with Cade Cunningham.
Brunson has shown he can be the #1 option and lead guard with Luka out, which should intrigue the Detroit Pistons, who can either go with a more traditional two-guard alongside Cunningham, or try to find a guy like Brunson who can carry some of the playmaking and ball-handling duties.
Some players take longer to reach stardom than others, and Kyle Lowry was one of those guys who just kept getting better with age.
The Pistons have a chance to get in on the ground floor of the next Kyle Lowry in Jalen Brunson, and could grab him in free agency just as he is on the cusp of reaching that next level as a player.
Brunson is certainly making his case and will be a name to watch for the Pistons in free agency.