Brandon Jennings had a very good rookie season for the Milwaukee Bucks and finished in the top three for the Rookie of the Year Award.  Jennings made a major impact for the Bucks and some have argued that he was the best rookie this year.  The award was announced earlier today and Jennings came in third behind Golden State Warriors’ guard Stephen Curry, and Rookie of the Year winner Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings.  Jennings proved he belonged as a starting guard in this league early, erupting for 55 points in just the seventh game of the season.  Jennings struggled from the field for most of the season though, as the size and strength of NBA players gave Jennings a difficult time finishing around the hole.  His shot selection was questionable at times, but adjusting to the size and speed of the NBA was the main reason Jennings shot just 37% from the field.  He still averaged 15.5 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.3 steals.  His three-point shooting was pretty good though, as he shot the same as his overall field goal percentage, hitting 37% from behind the arc.

Jennings did have a little bit of an inconsistent year, but overall it was a good rookie campaign.  Also, he could explode for a big scoring game on any given night and his quickness proved to be a valuable asset when setting up his teammates.  The most impressive thing about Jennings so far is that he has stepped his game up big-time in the postseason.  He has helped the Bucks take a 3-2 series lead on the Atlanta Hawks, whom many expected to sweep the Andrew Bogut-less Bucks.  He opened the series with 34 points in game one and he has had only one off night in game two, where he had only 9 points and 3 assists on 3-15 shooting.  Other than that, Jennings has been pretty spectacular, especially when you consider the fact that he is still a 20-year-old rookie.  In five games so far, he is averaging 20.8 points, 3.8 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals, while shooting a much improved 45% from the field and 36% from three.  Jennings is having a great postseason run to cap off his solid rookie season, and look for him to continue to improve for the Milwaukee Bucks as he and his game matures.

The Bucks outscored the Hawks 30-18 in the 4th quarter last night as they appeared to want this game more than Atlanta did. Brandon Jennings led the way for the Bucks yesterday with 25 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. John Salmons also had another solid game with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists last night. Luke Ridnour was outstanding off the bench for the Bucks last night with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 4 steals in 18 minutes. The Bucks are now up 3-2 in this series and they will look to close out the Hawks in Game #6 in Milwaukee.

The Bucks played an outstanding game as they shot 55.1% from the floor last night. Brandon Jennings led the way for the Bucks last night with 23 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists. Carlos Delfino (22 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists) and John Salmons (22 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists) were also really good last night for the Bucks. Ersan Ilyasova (11 points) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (10 points) each helped out offensively in this game for the Bucks. The Bucks have now tied this series 2-2.

The Bucks played a complete game shooting 51.3% from the floor while holding the Hawks to 39.1% shooting and those were the biggest reasons for the blowout. John Salmons led the way for the Bucks in this game with 22 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals. Jerry Stackhouse only shot 3 of 11 from the floor as he finished up with 16 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists in 26 minutes on the bench. Luke Ridnour (11 points), Ersan Ilyasova (11 points) and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12 points) all helped out offensively for the Bucks in this game. But, it was Kurt Thomas and Dan Gadzuric who combined for 10 points and 23 rebounds at center in this game who were the real standouts for the Bucks. The Bucks are still down 2-1 in this series but they have life now.

The Bucks had another rough night in Atlanta as they had problems offensively once again. Brandon Jennings turned into the bad version of himself last night as he only connected on 3 of 15 shots last night finishing with only 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. John Salmons rebounded last night after having a rough game in the opening of this series as he finished up with 21 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Ersan Ilyasova was incredible off the bench for the Bucks last night with 13 points and 15 rebounds in only 24 minutes. Jerry Stackhouse pitched in with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 24 minutes in this game. The Bucks are now down 2-0 as the series shifts to Milwuakee this weekend.

The Bucks didn’t play any D in this game as the Hawks shot 53.9% from the floor and it did them in. Brandon Jennings was a one man wrecking crew on offense for the Bucks tonight. He shot 14 of 25 from the floor finishing with 34 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. He just didn’t have any help in this game. John Salmons was shooting brick after brick as he was 6 of 18 from the floor finishing with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 6 steals. Ersan Ilyasova pitched in with 11 points and 6 rebounds in 23 minutes earlier tonight. The Bucks just had a lot of issues dealing with the Hawks’ size as they are now 0-1 in this series.

The Milwaukee Bucks were a surprise team in the NBA this year while the Hawks improved their record for the sixth year in a row. Here’s a breakdown of the matchups in this series:

Point Guard: Brandon Jennings is definitely a fun player to watch even if he can’t shoot a lick. He played in all 82 games for the Bucks this season and he averaged 32.6 minutes, 15.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. If Jennings is cold shooting the ball and he continues to be selfish with the ball the Bucks will be done really early in this series. Still, Jennings is a physical mis-match for Michael Bibby based on his speed.

Mike Bibby is a battle tested warrior but he’s running on fumes right now. He played in 80 games (all starts) for the Hawks this year and he averaged 27.4 minutes, 9.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Bibby probably has a few big shots left in him but I see Jamal Crawford playing more than him in this series to deal with Jennings.

EDGE: BUCKS

Shooting Guard: John Salmons was outstanding for the Bucks since coming over from the Bulls at the trade deadline. He played in 30 games (28 starts) for the Bucks this season and he averaged 37.6 minutes, 19.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Salmons will likely be the go to man for the Bucks in this series offensively.

Joe Johnson is as smooth as they get at shooting guard. He played in 76 games (all starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 38.0 minutes, 21.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Johnson might shoot a little bit more than usual in this series with his free agency coming up this summer.

EDGE: HAWKS

Small Forward: Carlos Delfino came back from overseas and he had his best year of his career in the NBA. He played in 75 games (66 starts) for the Bucks in which he averaged 30.4 minutes, 11.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The Bucks will likely need him to score a little more than usual in this series.

Marvin Williams is the team guy who does the dirty work for the Hawks. He played in 81 games (all starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 30.5 minutes, 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Williams needs to be aggressive in this series both offensively and defensively.

EDGE: EVEN

Power Forward: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has taken over as the starting power forward for the Bucks. He has played in 73 games (62 starts) for the Bucks this season and he averaged 25.6 minutes, 6.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Mbah a Moute will need to hit the boards and play D for the Bucks because Josh Smith will be all over the place for the Hawks.

Josh Smith is the best stat sheet filler other than LeBron James in the NBA. He played in 81 games (all starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 35.4 minutes, 15.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.1 blocked shots per game. He plays all out, all of the time as he is often the best player on the court for the Hawks.

EDGE: HUGE FOR HAWKS

Center: When Andrew Bogut went down for the season due to injury the Bucks turned to veteran Kurt Thomas. Thomas will hit the boards and play defense for the Bucks in this series. It will be hard for him to maintain a high energy level against the much younger Al Horford of the Hawks. Thomas has played in 70 games (9 starts) for the Bucks this season and he averaged 15.0 minutes, 3.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.

Al Horford really improved his game big time this season for the Hawks. Horford played in 81 games (all starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 35.1 minutes, 14.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game. Horford’s a little undersized for a center but that won’t be a problem against the Bucks.

EDGE: HAWKS

BENCH: The Bucks use their bench a lot as Luke Ridnour, Ersan Ilyasova, Jerry Stackhouse and Charlie Bell all averaged over 20 minutes a night this season. Ridnour (10.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists) and Ilyasova (10.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists) are the leaders of the bench brigade. Ridnour could be really important in this series if Brandon Jennings struggles with his shot. Ilyasova will have to help out along the undermanned front line of the Bucks. Stackhouse and Bell come off the bench shooting the ball. Dan Gadzuric will give Kurt Thomas some relief in this series.

Jamal Crawford should be the sixth man of the year in the NBA. He played in 79 games (0 starts) for the Hawks this season and he averaged 31.1 minutes, 18.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Crawford will likely get most of his playing time at the point in this series. Zaza Pachulia and Joe Smith will provide some muscle off the bench in this series while Maurice Evans will team with Marvin Williams at small forward.

EDGE: EVEN

COACH: Scott Skiles did a remarkable job with this team. He led them to a 46-36 record (56.1%) during the regular season despite not having the most talented roster around. Skiles is now 80-84 (48.8%) in his two years with the Bucks. He has some post season experience as his teams sport a 15-20 record (42.9%).

Mike Woodson led the Hawks to a 53-29 record (64.6%) this season. He has now coached six seasons with the Hawks compiling a 206-286 record (41.9%) but the team has improved it’s record in each year Woodson has been in Atlanta. Woodson has a 7-11 (38.9%) record in the post season with the Hawks.

EDGE: EVEN

PREDICTION: This looks like a total mis-match on paper. I’m still going to give the Bucks a win at home but the Hawks will take this series in 5 games.

None of the Big Three (Garnett, Allen or Pierce) played for the Celtics last night but it was still a nice road win for the Bucks. Jerry Stackhouse led the way for the Bucks last night with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Luke Ridnour also had a outstanding game off the bench last night with 17 points, 2 rebounds and 8 assists. Ersan Ilyasova pitched in with 15 points and 3 rebounds last night. Dan Gadzuric shaked off some rust last night by scoring 14 points, grabbing 9 rebounds and stealing the ball twice in only 26 minutes on the court. The Bucks finish the season with a 46-36 record and they will match up with the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs starting this weekend.

The Bucks only shot 38.7% from the floor last night and they were outrebounded 48-34 which doomed them. John Salmons led the way for the Bucks last night with 28 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. Brandon Jennings only shot 8 of 23 (pathetic) but he still finished with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Jerry Stackhouse pitched in with 13 points in 21 minutes off the bench last night. Carlos Delfino (12 points) and Luke Ridnour (10 points) also pitched in on offense for the Bucks last night. The Bucks are now 45-36 on the season as they are currently #6 in the Eastern Conference (they would play the Celtics if the playoffs started today).

Sure the Bucks have made the playoffs but they won’t likely go to far unless Brandon Jennings quits shooting so many bricks. Jennings has played in 76 games (all starts) for the Bucks this season and he is averaging 32.8 minutes, 15.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is only shooting 37.1% from the floor and that is simply pathetic. Jennings will have to pass the ball more in the playoffs especially without Andrew Bogut around to rebound his bricks.

UPDATE: (4/16/2010) – Jennings finished up his rookie season playing in 82 games (all starts) in which he averaged 32.6 minutes, 15.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He only shot 37.1% from the floor this year.