Report: Knicks showing interest in acquiring Brandon Jennings
The starting point guard position for the New York Knicks has been a revolving door of filler talent for the past several years, with 34-year-old Spaniard Jose Calderon (7.2 points and 3.9 assists) currently holding down the role.
The Knicks are looking to acquire an upgrade, with Brandon Jennings of the Detroit Pistons being one of several names the team is interested in, according to the New York Daily News' Frank Isola.
Jennings, 26, just recently made his return to head coach Stan Van Gundy's rotation after undergoing surgery to repair an Achilles tear he suffered back in January. In his first two games back, the Oak Hill Academy high school alumnus has played 36 total minutes, averaging seven points and 3.5 assists on 38.5 percent shooting.
It was back in 2009 when the Milwaukee Bucks selected Jennings 10th overall, which was two spots after the Knicks drafted Jordan Hill at pick No. 8. That year's draft class was rich with young point guard talent, with Jennings, Jrue Holiday, Ty Lawson, and Jeff Teague all going after Hill - an obvious low point during the tenure of former president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh.
While there are red flags concerning Jennings' return from such a major injury, Van Gundy has all the faith in the world he'll be an NBA starter once again.
"Brandon is coming back well off of the injury and he's a guy who just absolutely loves to play, loves to be in the gym," Van Gundy said, according to Isola. "He's still young, he's still 26. I don't think there's any doubt he'll be a starting point guard in this league again."
If Jennings does become a starter, it likely won't come with the Pistons, as the team just recently inked Reggie Jackson (20.1 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.2 rebounds) to a five-year, $80-million contract extension over the summer.
When healthy, Jennings functions as a high-volume scorer who converts his attempts at shoddy rates. He's averaging 16.5 points over his seven-year career, but shooting just 39.1 percent from the field. In fact, he's never hit over 42 percent of his shots for a season, despite taking 15 shots per game.