Stan Van Gundy Says Brandon Jennings’ Role This Season Is ‘Hard To Determine’

Brandon Jennings, Stan Van Gundy
Getty Image

Detroit Pistons point guard Brandon Jennings insists that he’s “fine” with coming off the bench upon his return from surgery on a torn Achilles. Stan Van Gundy, though, still seems unsure of how his former starter will be utilized during the 2015-16 season.

During an appearance on Detroit’s WMGC-FM, the Pistons’ coach said Jennings’ role would depend on how he re-acclimates to the game post-injury and didn’t rule out the possibility that he could share the floor with newly-minted franchise lead guard Reggie Jackson. Here’s Van Gundy, courtesy of the Detroit Free Press‘ Kevin Bull:

Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy said Thursday what role Jennings will play is unclear.

“That’s really hard to determine right now,” Van Gundy told WMGC-FM (105.1). “We don’t know where Brandon’s gonna be health-wise. Right now, he’s still recovering.”

[…]

“If he comes back and he’s the Brandon Jennings that we had last year, I think those guys can play together quite well,” Van Gundy said. “Reggie is big enough (6-feet-3) to guard guys off the ball and everything else. It just gives you two playmakers on the floor together. I think they can be pretty dynamic, but we’ll just have to see where Brandon is when he comes back.”

Jennings is a free agent following the upcoming season. Before his untimely injury in late January, the 25-year-old lefty had made a compelling case to be Detroit’s point guard of the future. It was Jennings who led the Pistons’ during their shocking post-Josh Smith resurgence last November, orchestrating offense with craft and nuance that he’d long lacked while consistently making shots with frequency he’d only flashed.

But that subsequent Achilles tear charted different paths for both he and Detroit, journeys that began when Van Gundy acquired Jackson from the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline. On paper, the idea that Jennings and Jackson could comprise a viable defensive backcourt makes sense. The former is a waterbug with quick hands, and the latter thickly built with long arms.

Size is an issue for the diminutive Jennings while checking all players, though, and the same can be said for Jackson when it comes to wings. That obvious deficiency can be mitigated by knack, smarts, and dogged effort, but neither player has ever consistently shown the necessary blend of those attributes to expect they will going forward. Combined with Andre Drummond’s ongoing development as a back-line helper, playing Jennings and Jackson together for long stretches is likely a losing proposition defensively for Detroit.

The question, of course, is whether they’ll be able to make up for it on the other end of the floor. We’re dubious. And until Jennings gets back on the court in December, Van Gundy’s hope for his undersized backcourt should continue seeming conveniently optimistic to outsiders.

(Via Detroit Free Press)

×