Brandon Jennings will look noticeably bigger this coming season. (USATSI)
Detroit Pistons' point guard Brandon Jennings has a big year ahead of him. It will be his second season asked to help lead the Pistons back to the playoffs and his first season doing it under Stan Van Gundy. It's going to take a strong effort from Jennings and his teammates to break through an improving Eastern Conference.
With such a big season ahead for Jennings, he apparently put in some work in the gym this offseason. Looking noticeably bigger according to reporters, Jennings says he added 25 extra pounds to his frame, hoping to be a better defender for Van Gundy and endure more of the pounding he can take. From The Detroit News:
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.
Playful swagger? Check.
Rare introspection? Check
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.
Lang Whitaker, formerly of SLAM Magazine and currently of NBA.com, has a yearly tradition of "Muscle Watch" in which he tracks all of the players who have reportedly put on massive amounts of muscle. This is always a storyline heading into training camp for many players looking to have a big season and show just how serious they are.
Some of the math doesn't add up here with Jennings. He's listed at 169 pounds on the Pistons' website. So if he's clocking in at 185 to 190, then perhaps he would have lost some weight during last season before adding the 25 pounds this summer. But even if it's "just" 16-21 pounds added to his frame, that's a pretty significant bump in mass. Jennings was one of the worst at finishing around the rim last season and actually had a worse shooting percentage overall than Ricky Rubio.
Adding this weight and being able to maintain his strength could help him once he's in the paint and trying to finish shots against contact from players with anywhere from 20-100 pounds on him.
Basketball Hot News
Miroslav Raduljica signs in China
Miroslav Raduljica, who was traded by the Bucks and waived by the Clippers this summer, wanted to stay in the NBA.
He made a compelling case. As a rookie for the Milwaukee last season, the 7-footer averaged 3.8 points on 54 percent shooting and 2.3 rebounds in 9.7 minutes per game.
But no NBA team made a compelling enough offer.
Shams Charania of RealGM:
Free agent seven-footer Miroslav Raduljica has signed a one-year contract with Shandong of the Chinese Basketball Association, sources told RealGM.
Raduljica had interest from several NBA teams, including the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers, as well as discussions in Europe.
Raduljica posted 1.1 win shares last season. The last rookie to post at least one win share and not play in the NBA the following season: Jordan Williams, who had 1.3 win shares for the Nets in 2011-12, was included in the Joe Johnson trade the following summer and then waived by the Hawks. Williams hasn’t played in the NBA since.
Raduljica needn’t necessarily follow suit. Because the Chinese season ends in February, he could still play in the NBA this season. A couple teams were already interested him, and I suspect a few others will still need center depth come spring.
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