Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE
Jonas Jerebko has been giving the Detroit Pistons the type of rebounding they’ve needed to hold their own against the NBA heavyweights.
Pistons’ coach Lawrence Frank said it’s easy to explain.
“He was huge because of his energy. We were so devoid; we were kind of low energy as a group out there. I thought Jonas had great energy and it shows in his rebounding,” Frank said.
Jerebko said it’s easy to explain what the key is for the Pistons to have success.
“We’re trusting each other. I think that shows out on the court; somebody has an open shot, but maybe someone is more open. We’re getting there,” he said.
A major highlight for the team was defeating the Orlando Magic late in the 2011-12 season, albeit it came at a time when Dwight Howard was out of the lineup.
“Everyone in the NBA can play, so you can’t just think like that. I think it was either last year or two years ago, they played without Dwight and couple other players or they ended up winning by 20. You can’t take any team lightly in the NBA. Anybody can beat anybody on any given night,” Jerebko said.
Jerebko obviously fits high into the Pistons plans for 2012-13.
In just two years after being drafted out of Sweden, Jerebko has quickly established his NBA potential. He has started more than half of the Pistons’ games he’s appeared in, averaging 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds. He was slightly below those averages at 8.7 points and 4.8 boards per game a year ago.
More importantly, Jerebko has established himself as the type of team player the Pistons need to take on the NBA’s elite. His shooting percentage is slightly below 50 percent, which is commendable considering that he’s usually shooting from outside and will be relied upon to hit that jumper that will draw out NBA defenses and allow Greg Monroe to penetrate more effectively inside.
