Van Gundy: Pistons expecting Brandon Jennings back 'mid- to late-December'

The timeline that Brandon Jennings gave himself for a recovery from a torn left Achilles tendon may have been too optimistic.

In late January, Jennings tweeted that he would be out six-to-nine months after undergoing season-ending surgery on the tendon. But the Detroit Pistons operated as if Jennings wasn't necessarily a big part of their plans, trading for Reggie Jackson and then signing him to a long-term deal that Jennings is "on board" with.

Jennings even said he's fine coming off the bench, something he and the Pistons apparently don't have to worry about for months. Head coach and president Stan Van Gundy revealed on Detroit Sports 105.1 that Jennings isn't expected back in October, the more pessimistic end of Jennings' self-announced timeline.

"We don't know where Brandon is going to be health-wise," Van Gundy said. "Right now, he's still recovering. We're probably looking at mid- to late-December to have him back."

Jennings' public willingness to accept a bench role comes as he enters the final year of his contract ahead of unrestricted free agency in a booming salary cap environment. That could hurt his market value, but he can be brought back into the fold slowly, run the second unit, get acclimated with playing alongside Jackson, and look like a team-first player in the process.

It remains possible that the Pistons will look to move Jennings and his expiring contract once he's established himself as healthy, and the Pistons have Steve Blake and Spencer Dinwiddie to assume his backup role until he returns. Losing Jennings for longer than expected hurts the Pistons' playoff chances some, but he doesn't appear to figure into their long-term plans at the point.

In 41 games before the injury, the 25-year-old Jennings averaged 15.4 points and 6.6 assists while shooting 40.1 percent overall and canning 36 percent of his outside looks - all more or less in line with his established levels of production. A known commodity at this point, Jennings - overqualified as a backup but somewhat underwhelming as a lead guard - could stand to be the canary in the 2016 free agency coal mine as the cash-flooded market sets prices for mid-tier players.