AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – The Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Stan Van Gundy announced today that the club has signed free agent guard Jodie Meeks to a multi-year contract. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“We’re pleased to welcome Jodie Meeks to the Pistons organization,” said Jeff Bower, General Manager for the Detroit Pistons. “Jodie’s approach to the game fits the style of basketball we want to play and his ability to shoot the ball from the outside is a skill that will help our team moving forward.”
The 6-4, 208-pound guard has career averages of 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 24.3 minutes in 355 games (194 starts) with the L.A. Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks. He joins the Pistons after spending the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers where he averaged 11.8 points (.435 FG%, .381 3FG%, .867 FT%), 2.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 27.2 minutes.
The 26-year-old native of Nashville, TN, had a career-year with the Lakers last season, averaging career-highs in points (15.7 ppg), field goal percentage (.463 FG), 3-point field goal percentage (.401 3FG), rebounds (2.5 rpg), assists (1.8 apg) and minutes (33.2 mpg) in 77 games (70 starts). Meeks connected on a career-high 162 3-point field goals last season (T-17th in the NBA) and was one of 21 NBA players to shoot over 40% from 3-point range (40.1% - T-19th in the NBA). He scored a career-high 42 points (11-18 FG, 14-14 FT) in a 114-110 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder (3/9).
Meeks, a second round draft selection of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2009, spent three years at the University of Kentucky where he averaged 15.4 points (.368 3FG), 3.0 rebounds and set a single-season school record for 3-point field goals made (117). He averaged 23.7 points and 40.6% from 3-point range as a junior while setting Wildcat records for most points in a single-game (career-high 54) and most 3-pointers made in a single-game (10) during a 90-72 win over Tennessee (1/13/09). Meeks recorded the nation’s top three college regular-season scoring efforts during the 2008-09 season (54, 46 and 45 points, respectively).