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.