Jerebko a force off the bench
Power forward Jonas Jerebko didn't change his approach after he got moved to the bench. Over the past two weeks, Jerebko has become increasingly adept in his sparkplug role.
Jerebko has reached double-figures in six of the last seven games, averaging 15.3 points per game during that stretch to lift his season average to 10.0. Jerebko's offensive surge mirrors that of his team, which scored a season high in its 109-92 victory over New Jersey Friday. Jerebko had 20 points, two off his career high, as the Pistons won their fourth straight.
Adjusting to a reserve role after starting the first 13 games wasn't a big deal to him.
"Not really," he said. "I just try to go in and play my game. The only change is who you're playing with. I'm just trying to do the same thing -- bring energy."
What he also brings is versatility. He scored in nearly every way imaginable Friday. On the Pistons first possession when he entered late in the first quarter, Jerebko sank a baseline jumper. He then posted up Jordan Williams and made a sweeping hook shot in the lane. Moments later, he dribbled in from the top of the key and dropped in a lay-up.
Early in the second quarter, Jerebko drove the baseline for a reverse lay-up. During the second half, he added a three-pointer and a transition dunk.
"I missed a few games last year, so I'm just trying to get in a rhythm," said Jerebko, who sat out last season with an Achilles' tendon tear. "My teammates are finding me now and we're just letting the ball do the work."
Jerebko was just as dangerous two nights earlier in New Jersey, when he supplied 16 points and seven rebounds in a 99-92 win.
"He's in a good rhythm and flow," coach Lawrence Frank said. "The game at Jersey, he was a huge difference-maker with his energy at both ends. Offensively, even though he scored points, he wasn't searching them out. But because of ball movement and him making quick decisions, the ball came back to him and that was an important lesson. It was a free-flowing, ball-moving, quick-decision game and that's how we have to play."
Jerebko and his teammates will try to keep the ball moving and the good feelings flowing against Washington Sunday night.
"That's the way you want to play," Jerebko said. "We're a young team and we can run the floor. Once we get that ball up the floor, we make plays."
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