Brandon Jennings’ first season with the Detroit Pistons hardly went according to plan. His numbers declined almost across the board as the Pistons fell well short of preseason hopes that they would at least seriously challenge for a playoff spot in the woebegone Eastern Conference. But 2014-2015 is the beginning of wholesale changes in Detroit, and Jennings is confident he’s due for a bounce-back campaign. Why? The sage guidance of Stan Van Gundy will obviously be beneficial, but Jennings – ever-slight since he came entered the league in 2009 – says he’s feeling especially physically fit after gaining a whopping 25 pounds over the summer.
That eye-popping tidbit is courtesy The Detroit News’ Vincent Goodwill. In a wide-ranging story detailing the struggles of Jennings’ 2013-2014 and his optimism for the coming season, Goodwill writes the following:
Brandon Jennings emerged from the informal workouts at The Palace practice facility, looking somewhat similar to the figure who departed to California after last season’s disappointing, playoff-less finish…
Twenty-five extra pounds? Check…wait, that wasn’t here last season
“I’m about 185, 190 on my good days,” said Jennings, noticeably thicker but still wiry.
Jennings is listed at a lithe 169 pounds but looked even skinnier last season. As Goodwill notes below, the 25 year-old played below that minuscule weight in 2013-2104 as a result of a fractured jaw diagnosed during an October visit to the dentist.
Here’s a photo of the 6-1, narrow-shouldered Jennings taken in February:
And this is what he looks like today:
https://twitter.com/BrandonJennings/status/510987719934099456
https://twitter.com/BrandonJennings/status/510987847050883072
That’s clearly not the “25 pounds of muscle” that will likely be discussed ad nauseam throughout training camp, but Jennings is noticeably thicker now than he was last season. And while he lacks the chiseled physique of LeBron James, that’s not necessary by his wrongdoing. Not every player in the league is blessed with big bones and thick muscles; Jennings is closer to the Portland Trail Blazers’ Will Barton than Damian Lillard in that regard.
As for how Jennings’ new body will translate to the court, defense is where it is most likely to prove beneficial. Jennings doesn’t lack for effort on that end of the floor, but too often died on ball-screens in 2013-2014 and seasons prior – an absolute death-knell for team defense. At approximately 185 pounds, he’ll be more comfortable taking a blow from an apposing big man and staying attached to the ballhandler’s hip. If the focus and understanding is there, Jennings should be in for his best defensive season this year.
It will help offensively, too. Jennings will never be the type of player able to absorb contact and finish through it, but he’ll likely be more confident making forays to the paint knowing his body can take the necessary beating. And hopefully it will help him become a more effective shooter at the rim, as well – Jennings made a poor 48.6 percent of his tries from the restricted area last season.
Big picture, though, Jennings’ physical strides won’t matter if he doesn’t buy into Van Gundy’s ideals. And though he’s saying all the right things so far, his playing history makes those words ring hollow. Only time will tell if Jennings is Detroit’s point guard of the future, but a strong offseason is definitely a good start.
Is Jennings in for a career season?
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