NEW YORK – The Pistons placed a huge pile of the franchise’s chips on Blake Griffin’s future and fully expect he’ll be their lynchpin over the next four seasons of the contract he took with him from Los Angeles.
Behind him next season they’ll still have Jon Leuer, whose versatility at both ends of the floor motivated Stan Van Gundy to move quickly in free agency two off-seasons ago.
And don’t close the door on the return of Anthony Tolliver, playing the best basketball of his career after inking a one-year deal to return to the Pistons last summer.
But somehow, some way, Henry Ellenson is shouldering his way into the mix.
Ellenson helped the Pistons to a 2-0 record without Griffin – he’ll miss at least the next two, as well, with a bone bruise of the right ankle – as he and Tolliver combined for 26 points.
And Ellenson was on the floor when the game turned: a 13-2 Pistons run late in the third quarter to wipe out a Knicks lead and hand the starters a lead to protect in the fourth quarter. Behind another dominant finish from Andre Drummond – 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks in the fourth, 22, 17 and three for the game – the Pistons did just that. They’re 6-1 in their last seven games, though their playoff odds keep dwindling as Miami and Milwaukee ahead of them win to whittle away at their magic numbers.
“I thought Henry really played well tonight again,” Van Gundy said after the 115-109 win at Madison Square Garden. “He made some nice passes. He rebounded the ball. I was really happy with him. What he’s doing is not easy. We always compliment guys who are really professional and keep themselves ready, but that’s usually veteran guys. For a 21-year-old kid to do that and not get discouraged and keep working and stay in shape and keep himself ready to play the way he has, outstanding.”
Ellenson’s gift is scoring, but in his two games since helping fill Griffin’s void he’s put into evidence the areas of his game where he’s logged a zillion hours of sweat and toil. He picked up four rebounds, dished out three assists, ran the floor and held his own on defense. In Ellenson’s nine second-half minutes, the Pistons outscored the Knicks by 11. All five bench players posted a positive plus-minus on a night the starters were all in the red.
“The bench turned the whole thing,” Van Gundy said. “They really did. We were not playing well at all. We didn’t have much energy and the bench turned it around.”
James Ennis scored nine points, hitting 4 of 6 shots, and Ish Smith had eight points, six assists and four rebounds in 23 minutes. Ennis, Smith and Ellenson were out with Eric Moreland and only one starter, Reggie Bullock, during the 13-2 run.
“We just focused on getting stops and those stops let us get out to get running,” Ellenson said. “So we were able to get on a nice little run there. It was a lot of fun because everyone was in it. Guys were getting touches in transition and I think that’s when we’re at our best. For that unit to get a nice little lead there at the end of the third, going into the fourth, that helped us, for sure.”
Reggie Jackson finished with 17 points, five assists and no turnovers in 25 minutes and he’ll get a test Sunday in the first back to back since returning from a 37-game injury absence. Jackson had brilliant moments and was happy to be handed a lead to start the fourth.
“It was great. Kept finding a way to battle,” he said. “Wasn’t a pretty game for us. We didn’t come out in the third the way we wanted it. They kind of put it on us early, but we found a way to respond and be resilient. We just kept fighting.”
The guy who mostly “put it on” the Pistons – on a night the Knicks were without starters Kristaps Porzingis, Enes Kanter and Courtney Lee – was Michael Beasley, one of the league’s least acclaimed pure scorers. Beasley, a matchup problem for his ability to put the ball on the floor and score from all ranges, finished with 32 points.
“He wasn’t getting a lot of easy shots,” Van Gundy said. “Down the stretch he made like five really difficult shots. He’s a great, great scorer. He hit the three on Henry; Henry’s right there. He hit runners. He hit two or three where the ball bounces like two or three times and went in – great touch.”
“He’s a guy who can do it all with the ball,” said Ellenson, who didn’t look overmatched defending him – perhaps the most encouraging bit of information for the Pistons to take out of the game going forward. “He was hitting tough shots all night on whoever was guarding him.”
But Ellenson gave as good as he got and earned another gold star from Van Gundy and his teammates.
“It’s just a testament to him, the work that he puts in,” Jackson said. “I think he’s been great. He comes in, gets his work in. He’s always studying film. Keeps himself ready and now he’s keeping his confidence up and playing well. We’re happy for him and we hope he keeps it up. He’s been a big spark for this team.”