one of the knocks on jennings has been that he is about self. here's an interesting article on what his coach and teamates think of him...no knocks here:
Bucks 'relevant again' thanks to their dazzling rookie
Posted Nov 25 2009 7:38AM
It's one thing to dazzle the fans sitting in the expensive courtside seats. All that's required is a nifty crossover move and a dunk or two to make the highlight reels on TV.
It takes more to turn heads inside NBA locker rooms, which makes it so impressive that Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings has necks twisting like Linda Blair's in The Exorcist.
"My goodness, a rookie?" said 15-year veteran and Bucks teammate Kurt Thomas. "He's been playing unbelievable and he ranks right up there at the top of any of them that I've ever seen."
Indeed, the numbers and the feats are as good as anybody has witnessed. Jennings started with 17 points, nine assists and nine rebounds on opening night against the Philadelphia 76ers, just missing out on being the only rookie in league history other than Oscar Robertson to begin his career with a triple-double. His 55 points on Nov. 14 against the Golden State Warriors was the highest total by a first-year player since Earl Monroe's 56 back in 1968. And his six games of scoring at least 25 points are the most by any rookie before Thanksgiving since Michael Jordan. He ranks ninth in the league at 24.2 points per game.
Jennings' blinding raw speed, uncanny court vision and ability to make plays has the Bucks off to an 8-4 record -- their best start since 2001 -- in what most figured was going to be rebuilding season. Most of all, he has put the crackle and electricity of excitement back into the Milwaukee franchise.
"No question," said coach Scott Skiles. "There's a buzz in our building and there's more of you guys (media) hanging around us in other cities. For some of the guys on our team, they haven't encountered that with our franchise, if at all. It's very important. He makes us relevant again."
That is further evidenced by ESPN switching its TV schedule to show the Bucks game on Friday night at Oklahoma City. It will be the first Milwaukee game shown on ESPN since Jan. 11, 2008. Jennings' jaw-dropping plays as both a scorer and passer also have enabled the Bucks to frequently elbow their way back into the nightly national TV highlight packages. It's all heady stuff for the first American player to go straight from high school to a European pro league and then return to the U.S. Jennings fell to 10th in the NBA Draft, likely due to a maverick reputation. His reputation is anything but that now.
"We love everything he's doing for the team," said current starting backcourt partner Charlie Bell. "He's brought a lot of excitement, a lot of attention, not just to himself, but to all of us. When you get that kind of notoriety, it's fantastic. SportsCenter is starting to talk about the Milwaukee Bucks. They're showing more of us now. It's great for the whole team and the whole organization."
What his coaches and teammates have been most impressed with is Jennings' demeanor and his approach to the job.
"It was just consistent from the start," Thomas said. "I never thought he would score 55, do something like that. That just tells you what a tremendous athlete he is. But he was just consistent and played hard all through training camp. He's always listening to Scott and really listening to (veteran point guard) Luke (Ridnour) and getting all kinds of feedback. Those are the signs of a great (young) player, when he's willing to listen."
Bell and a few other Bucks got an early glimpse of what might come from Jennings.
"We were in working out a about month before training camp started and he had some moves where you went, 'Man!' To be honest, I don't think people have seen everything yet. I've seen situations where he's almost made guys fall trying to guard him.
"It's extremely impressive, especially from a rookie, 20 years old, who did not play college ball. Most rookies and guys who've done what he's done -- LeBron James, Dwight Howard -- they're freaks of nature physically. But you look at Brandon and he's small, he doesn't weigh very much, but he has a lot of heart and he's got a lot of confidence and he goes out and competes every night. He wants to go out there and prove that he's one of the best players in the league already."
The longest-tenured Buck and Olympic gold medalist Michael Redd had been keeping an eye on Jennings from the sidelines through nine games as he recovered from a strained patella tendon in his left knee.
"The home crowd is more into things this season. The crowds on the road are coming out to see him. Brandon was a spark that we needed. He brings charisma and a flair to the team."
The Bucks, of course, knew about the flair.
"You can't watch his high school games and his European games and not see his talent," Skiles said. "What you're not sure once you get a guy with that kind of talent is: Does he work? Is he into learning and all that kind of stuff? And he has been. He's been exceptional with all that.
"There hasn't been once specific 'Wow!' moment for me. But there's been a nice, gradual progression. He's gotten better and better from his first rookie league game until now. He's a good worker. So far, he's been a really grounded kid and so we operate under the assumption that that's who he really is and that's the way he's gonna stay.
"We're an eighth of the way in, so I don't think it's time to be handing out any medals right now or anything. Having said that, he's been very, very good. In my 20-plus years in the league, I have a hard time recalling a rookie's first 10 or 11 games being this good."
The crowds see the flashy plays and the gaudy point totals. The TV cameras see the ankle-breaking moves as he drives to the basket. Inside the Bucks' locker room, it's different.
"Veteran players definitely keep an eye on rookies," said Bell. "You want to see their talent. You want to see those skills. But you also want to see what he's all about as a teammate. This kid works hard and does things right.
"That's a good head on his shoulders."
Fran Blinebury has covered the NBA since 1977. You can e-mail him here.
to show he's worth at least a portion of what he's being paid by getting more out of this team. i know we've been told a thousand times on this site you can't coach effort but i bet he could coach better positioning, ball movement, shot selection and defensive schemes. i'd settle for those.
11/25/2009 6:44 PM
