The Bucks are getting solid production out of their trio of rookies when they are on the court.  22-year old power forward Jon Leuer is already in the Bucks’ playing rotation.  He has played in 9 games (0 starts) so far for the Bucks this year and he is averaging 18.3 minutes, 6.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game on 50% shooting from the floor.  19-year old small forward Tobias Harris hasn’t played much so far this year, but he has looked good for the Bucks.  Harris has played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Bucks so far this year and he is averaging 15.7 minutes, 8.3 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He has been taking good shots as he is hitting 56.3% from the floor so far this year.  24-year old Darington Hobson missed all of last year due to hip surgery, so the NBA still considers him a rookie.  Hobson has played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Bucks so far this year and he is averaging 9.0 minutes, 2.0 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.5 assists per game.

22-year old power forward Larry Sanders had a so/so rookie year for the Bucks.  He played in 60 games (12 starts) for the Bucks last year and he averaged 14.5 minutes, 4.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  Sanders only shot 43.3% from the floor and 56% from the free throw line, so he will need to work on his shooting over the summer.   Sanders has the potential to be a starter down the road for the Bucks, but he will need to really improve his game because they have a lot of depth at the position.

Due to Andrew Bogut’s injury, the Bucks have suddenly inserted 22-year old Larry Sanders into the starting lineup.  In his last three games, Sanders is averaging 26.7 minutes, 6.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  Sanders has now played in 39 games (10 starts) for the Bucks so far this year and he is averaging 14.5 minutes, 4.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  The Bucks had just sent Sanders to the D-League recently to get P.T. but that’s not a problem for them now.

The Milwaukee Bucks have sent 22-year old rookie forward Larry Sanders to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the D-League.  Sanders has played in 36 games (8 starts) for the Bucks so far this year and he is averaging 13.5 minutes, 4.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  His shooting has been a tad off as he is hitting only 42.1% from the floor and 61% from the free throw line so far this year.  The Bucks are only sending Sanders to the D-League so that he can get a lot of P.T. that he wouldn’t get in Milwaukee  due to the suddenly deep frontcourt the Bucks have.  He will be back in Milwaukee at some point this season.

22-year old rookie forward Larry Sanders has made the most of his limited playing time so far this year.  Sanders has played in 26 games (8 starts) for the Bucks this year and he is averaging 14.7 minutes, 4.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.  The one area that Sanders can improve on is his shooting as he has only made 40.7% of his shots from the floor and 56% of his shots from the free throw line.  I think when he starts getting more consistent playing time that his shooting will come around.

22-year old PF/C Larry Sanders hasn’t been shooting the ball well (38.2% from the floor and 57% from the free throw line) but he has been very active when given the chance to play.  Sanders has played in 20 games (8 starts) for the  Bucks so far this year and he is averaging 14.7 minutes, 4.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  I look for Sanders to keep getting minutes and he might get a lot of them backing up Andrew Bogut and Drew Gooden who have been banged up a lot so far this year.

The Bucks have signed 34-year old power forward Brian Skinner.  Skinner played in 16 games (1 start) for the Clippers last season and he averaged 7.7 minutes, 1.6 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.  He has now played in 605 games (197 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 18.0 minutes, 4.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  To make room on the roster for Skinner, the Bucks have released rookie forward Darington Hobson.  Hobson injured his hip prior to the summer league and he never got into a game with the Bucks.

The Bucks are going to take it slow with 22 year old power forward Larry Sanders. Sanders has played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Bucks so far this year and he is averaging 5.4 minutes, 1.4 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. The Bucks are very deep in the frontcourt so I don’t see Sanders getting a lot of P.T. unless they have some big guys get injured.

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.

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.