Brandon Jennings was the 10th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2009 NBA Draft.
In his rookie season he led Milwaukee to the NBA playoffs for the first time in four years. The sixth seeded Bucks lost to the Atlanta Hawks in seven games despite losing center Andrew Bogut a month earlier in a horrific dunk-related injury.
Jennings broke Kareem Adbul-Jabbar’s franchise record for most points in a game by a rookie when he put up 55 against the Golden State Warriors on November 14, 2009. He was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
This season Jennings has been on fire as he continues to have his best statistical season. He is a major reason why Milwaukee has had so much success and why they continue to win big games. Not only is Jennings the best player on the Bucks but he is currently one of the best players in the NBA. He is only one of six players to average at least 23.9 points and 6.3 assists while shooting 45.1% from the field. The other five he is in company with are Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Monta Ellis and Russell Westbrook.
Milwaukee might have the best all-around team this year since Jennings joined the Bucks which is very encouraging for him and the organization. General manager John Hammond acquired seven new players in the offseason and with the lockout it took a while for everyone to click together on the court. The one common ground is Jennings. No matter who is playing he always finds a way to come together and make the team look good.
Since shuffling the starting lineup a bit, Milwaukee has won five of their last seven. Three of those wins have come against quality teams such as the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks. No matter where those teams are in the standings there is no doubt they have more “superstars” on their roster then the Bucks do.
Jennings continues to impress fans, teammates and coaches which is very encouraging to see. He plays with gusto and is exciting to watch, whether he is outrebounding Chris Bosh or sinking a deep three with a man twice his size in his face. The Bucks are extremely fortunate to have Jennings on the team as he is a rising star in the NBA with the potential to take everyone around him to new heights.
