Posted: Nov. 5, 2009
Piston rookie stays cool in his first NBA start
BY VINCE ELLIS
TORONTO -- Throughout the exhibition season, rookie forward Jonas Jerebko impressed the Pistons with his poise.
But that was the preseason. Being called on to fill in for a veteran and make his first career start certainly would get the nerves going a little bit.
But that wasn't the case Tuesday night, as Jerebko, 22, stepped in when Tayshaun Prince's back acted up.
And it definitely wasn't the case Wednesday night, when he contributed eight points and three rebounds in the Pistons' 110-99 loss to the Raptors.
On Tuesday, Jerebko failed to score in 25 minutes, but he grabbed five rebounds and blocked a shot as the Pistons handed the Magic its first loss of the season, 85-80. He impressed even more with his defense of Magic star Vince Carter, although Carter was limited by a sprained ankle. Carter was held to 15 points on 6-for-16 shooting, and he sat out the crunch time.
And if you ask his coach, it didn't appear Jerebko was the least bit fazed by the start.
"One of the things that's interesting is that he hasn't figured out he's supposed to be scared," coach John Kuester said before Wednesday night's game against the Raptors. "He keeps coming in there and playing with a lot of passion.
"I thought his body language in guarding Vince was outstanding."
Tuesday's start came at a perfect time for the first Swedish player in the NBA. Since training camp, media members from Sweden continually have visited the practice facility to do profiles on Jerebko. There was another contingent on hand Tuesday -- and it's jarring to hear Swedish in the locker room after a game.
"It's getting bigger and bigger," Jerebko said of Swedish basketball. "Basketball is not a big sport, but I'm trying to make it bigger back home, which is good. I got a lot of newspapers coming out, and TV and radio and everything. I'm just trying to make the sport bigger."
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