Pistons happy with ‘astounding’ attendance at workouts

It was tough finding a parking space at the Detroit Pistons’ practice facility Tuesday morning.

The full lot is indicative of the level of participation in the team’s daily workouts, as training camp nears next Tuesday.

Typically, some players get away at this time of year, for one last bit of down time before the monotony of two-a-day practices.

But nearly everyone is accounted for in Auburn Hills, Mich., and the participation excites point guard Reggie Jackson.

“It’s astounding to have everybody here, for the most part,” he told the Free Press after a hard workout. “These past two weeks, we’ve been going hard and really getting after it with pickup (games), a couple of drills here and there, lifting. Everybody’s been participating.

“Just having the guys here, getting to know each other, trying to hurry up and figure out a few of our concepts and the system. I think it’s going to help us get through training camp a little bit quicker.”

Only veteran forwards Ersan Ilyasova and Danny Granger have been absent from the workouts. Ilyasova competed for Turkey in the European Championships this month, and the team is still working through roster options with Granger. He could be traded, waived or brought to camp.

Point guard Brandon Jennings was also absent Tuesday he was in New York for a medical update on the ruptured left Achilles he is rehabbing. But he was at the facility Monday.

The early workouts and the trip to Las Vegas to train with UFC fighters this summer are shared experiences that can help camaraderie grow.

“It just helps you to get acclimated with your teammates quicker and feel more comfortable, and hopefully, makes everybody’s transition a little more seamless,” Jackson said. “We know we are going to have a few more bumps here and a couple of hurdles throughout the season. Just trying to get to know each other is the biggest thing figuring out everybody’s strengths and weaknesses and how we’re going to play together.”

(c)2015 Detroit Free Press

Visit the Detroit Free Press at www.freep.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.