Pistons' Jennings focused on his comeback story

Vince Ellis | Detroit Free Press

It wasn't exactly a pep talk, although Brandon Jennings probably could have used one.

When the Pistons point guard and owner Tom Gores met this summer at one of the most famous restaurants in the country, Jennings was coping with a quickly changing landscape.

There was the high in January of the Pistons' 12-4 run in which Jennings played some of the best basketball of his life.

There was the low of him suffering a torn left Achilles tendon on a court in Milwaukee.

There was the suddenness of the Pistons obtaining his replacement less than a month later.

There was the apprehension over when he would return entering a contract season.

So the dinner date was at Nobu, one of Jennings' favorite restaurants.

The restaurant sits on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Calif., and it was there that Gores told Jennings to clear his mind.

"I said, 'Two things are important to you, and that's it. Get healthy, and get your value up,' " Gores told the Free Press in November. " 'You do that, get healthy, it's all going to work out. Don't worry about all the stuff that's going on.' I think when you have an honest relationship, you can build on it. That's what I would say to my own son."

The conversation is one reason that Jennings says he has a clear mind as his return approaches.

"For one, I know what I bring to the table," Jennings said. "Before I got hurt, I was playing some of the best basketball of my career, and I definitely want to get back to that. I wasn't insecure or anything about that.

"At the end of the day, I know I can play basketball, and the things that I did before I got hurt, hopefully it will open up a lot of eyes around the league for everybody."

Riding high

It's after a recent practice, and Jennings is giving his teammates the business.

Steve Blake, Stanley Johnson and Darrun Hilliard were taking turns trying to slow Jennings in one-on-one drills.

They were failing.

He hit a step-back three-pointer against Johnson.

He took Blake off the dribble and got to the rim for a lay-up.

And the joy was evident as he let his teammates hear about the buckets barrage.

Afterward, Jennings admitted it was his best day in his rehab from the injury he suffered Jan. 24.

And he's confident he can return to the form that had pundits starting to believe that Jennings, now 26, was more than the shoot-first, shoot-second point guard many believed him to be.

After the Pistons, mired with a 5-23 record, waived Josh Smith a few days before Christmas, Jennings surged.

With clearly defined roles, the Pistons won seven straight, beating San Antonio and Dallas on back-to-back nights to highlight the streak. Jennings hit the winner against the Spurs.

Over those 16 games, Jennings averaged 19.8 points and seven assists. He shot 44% from the field and nearly 40% from three-point range. Those numbers are better than his career marks.

But it ended that night in Milwaukee.

Jennings didn't understand the surprise at his play. He had similar stretches when he played for the Bucks before being traded to the Pistons in July 2013.

"I don't know why everybody was saying they were amazed," Jennings said. "I can play basketball. I had great stretches in Milwaukee.

"We made the playoffs twice, so it's not like I was this bad player. I just grew up and stopped thinking about things that didn't matter around the league and just played basketball."

New direction

The Pistons couldn't stand pat with the uncertainty surrounding Jennings.

On Feb. 20, the day of the league's trade deadline, the Pistons struck a deal to land promising young point guard Reggie Jackson from Oklahoma City.

He was declared the point guard of the future, and after a solid stretch to close the season, Jackson signed a five-year, $80-million contract during the summer.

Jackson was one of many beneficiaries of the league's growing salary cap that caused player costs to rise.

Jennings is in the last year of a three-year, $25-million deal.

"He really understands basketball, and he knows the reality of where he was contract-wise and injury-wise that we were gonna have to do something," president-coach Stan Van Gundy said. "He knows how we're planning to look at this thing and handle it, and the biggest thing he knows is, nothing really matters right now until he's back to being able to play at a high level.

"That's all his focus is. That's all our focus is right now."

Still, Jennings mentioned the escalating salaries at media day.

Not that it was jealousy. It was more a reminder of what the injury could cost him.

The talk with Gores was welcome.

"Yeah, especially during the time of when I was injured, and to hear what he had to say to me definitely opened up my eyes and just really helped me through a lot of stuff I was going through," Jennings said. "Like a father-son type talk. It was some good things that were said, and he definitely gave me a different perspective on things I need to work on and what I need to come back and do."

Next steps

Jennings is shooting for a return before the end of the month.

Van Gundy said he is waiting for official medical clearance and said a stint in Grand Rapids in the NBA Developmental League could be in the works to help Jennings get back up to speed.

Whenever he returns, Jennings has said repeatedly he is cool with coming off the bench.

"We have a good starting five," Jennings said. "They all have a chemistry right now. I'm not going to come here and mess that up. I'll come off the bench, and I'll take care of the second unit like a pro is supposed to."

And if it's his last season in Detroit, he hopes to be a main cog in a playoff push.

"My main thing when I come back is to help this team get to the playoffs, because that's our main goal," Jennings said. "Everybody feels that's the goal and what everybody feels around the city.

"If I don't come back the way I was last year, I'm going to be very upset with myself. I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself first right now. I'm not thinking about re-signing here, not re-signing here. I'm just thinking about getting back on the court and taking care of business."

Contact Vince Ellis: vellis@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @vincent_ellis56.

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