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Milwaukee
Bucks' Brandon Jennings reacts at the end of the game against
the Golden State Warriors in an NBA basketball game on Saturday
in
Milwaukee
.
Jennings
scored 55 points in the Bucks victory over the Warriors 129-125.
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MILWAUKEE - Rookie Brandon Jennings had
an out-of-the-blue question for the injured Michael Redd during a recent
practice.
"'Mike, what's your career
high?'" said Redd, who scored 57 points against Utah back in 2006.
"He was like, 'Dang, how'd you do that?' and I said, 'Man, you just
got to be on.'"
Two days later, Jennings put up 55 points
in a win against the Warriors, becoming the youngest player in NBA
history to score at least 50 in a game. The prep star who went to Europe
has come home to the US and he has certainly been on for the young
Bucks.
Jennings is averaging 24.8 points and has
double figures in eight of nine games through Wednesday, an
extraordinary start for any player in the NBA. You would think Bucks
general manager John Hammond would be all smiles, but he is worried
about the 20-year-old budding star.
Hammond's concern? It may be too much,
too soon, too fast for the 10th pick in this year's draft who is a bona
fide rookie of the year candidate less than a month into the season.
In this blue-collar town, the NBA plays
third fiddle behind the NFL's Green Bay Packers and the MLB's Milwaukee
Brewers, who are having their own renaissance with a playoff berth last
year.
The Bucks play to sparse crowds in an
arena meant for an NHL team that never came and opened before Jennings
was born. If the NBA plans to stay in Milwaukee, the Bradley Center must
be replaced and fans must come back to support a franchise that's
finished dead last in the Central Division every year since the most
recent realignment. Its 74-year-old owner, Sen. Herb Kohl, pumps
millions into the team to help keep them afloat.
To Hammond, that's a load for any player
to bear, much less a rookie.
"The pressure that all of a sudden
falls on a young kid's shoulders in his first year in the league,
talking about saving a franchise or needing a new arena, that's not fair
for him this early," Hammond said.
For his part, Jennings is used to the
pressure of expectations. He left Los Angeles three years ago to go to
prep powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va., and was one of
the top high school recruits. But he struggled to qualify for college
and instead signed a contract with Italy's Lottomatica Virtus Roma.
Europe wasn't much fun for the lefty used
to making playground passes and running a flashy show. Twice-daily
practices and long stretches on the bench helped him mature. Even so, he
began falling on draft night and it looked like he had made a bad
decision, costing him thousands of dollars each time another name was
called that wasn't his.
"Everything that happened to the
draft, not going to those teams that I thought were going to pick me up,
I think I'm in a great situation right now," said Jennings, who
adds with a grin that his new city reminds him of Europe. "The city
of Milwaukee is laid back, and that's what I need right now."
The Bucks signed Jennings to a two-year
contract worth almost $4.5 million in July. He made an awkward splash in
his new home when an expletive-laced conversation ended up on YouTube,
complete with derogatory comments about the Knicks, who passed on him in
the draft, and the other two point guards on the team. Jennings quickly
apologized.
Now he's staying as quiet as he can.
Jennings typically gets to the arena
about four hours before game time and works with assistant coach Kelvin
Sampson on his jump shot nearly every day. Bucks coach Scott Skiles, a
former point guard who holds the NBA's single-game assists record, said
Jennings has a lot to learn.
To Sampson, the way Jennings is being
coached says a lot more about the respect Skiles has for his new point
guard.
"Scott lets him play," Sampson
said. "Whereas rookies go into situations where they get restricted
because of the system. It shows you how good a coach Scott is, he's
recognized what Brandon's good at and adjusted to him."
Jennings has also shown surprising
maturity — or restraint — off the court. He says he's worried about
a potential lockout at the end of next season, so much so that he bought
a used car instead of the much more expensive SUVs that dot most NBA
arena parking lots. He even likes to brag about the money he saved.
"A lot of these guys get a Mercedes
or a Range Rover," Sampson said. "A lot of guys do stuff
because of status, they think they're supposed to drive a Mercedes. He
bought a Ford Edge."
Jennings also shunned moving downtown to
take part in Milwaukee's small, but active nightlife. Instead of buying
a condo overlooking Lake Michigan, he's living in a suburb less than a
mile from the team's practice facility.
Jennings' motivation to get better and be
one of the NBA's elite point guards took him across the country,
overseas and now to the Midwest. He's happy with his winding road, but
said it isn't for everyone. He said Europe paid off.
"My main goal is coming out here,
making the playoffs, getting my teammates involved and trying to bring
the winning back to Milwaukee," Jennings said. "We have to
win. I'm going to do my part and I'm going to try and make sure the team
does their part."
And he's got people watching out for him.
"The great thing is, I truly believe
he's not afraid, he's not afraid for himself. He thinks he's good enough
and can do this and that's most important," said Hammond, the GM.
"We'll worry about him. He just goes out and performs."
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