NBA Draft ‘09 stock watch: Brandon Jennings
While half the teams in the NBA are gearing up for the postseason and fighting to sort out playoff seeds, the other half are gearing up to keep a close eye on the NCAA Tournament and fighting for Lottery balls.
The ‘09 Draft class is generally considered weak, but one strength is at the point guard position. Syracuse’s Jonny Flynn and Spanish phenom Ricky Rubio have both indicated they won’t be available, but that still leaves potential first-rounders Eric Maynor (VCU), Darren Collison (UCLA), Tyreke Evans (Memphis), Patty Mills (St. Mary’s), Willie Warren (Oklahoma), Jeff Teague (Wake Forest), Ty Lawson (North Carolina), Jrue Holiday (UCLA), Stephen Curry (Davidson), A.J. Price (UConn) and Toney Douglas (Florida State).
And then there’s Brandon Jennings.
The Class of ‘08 high school Player of the Year didn’t come close to the Juwanna Mann-type numbers some people thought he’d put up playing pro ball in Italy: In 16 Euroleague games, he averaged seven points and less than two assists in about 20 minutes of burn per night. Still, “Young Money” is slotted to go in the Top-10 in most ‘09 mock drafts.
At least five definite/potential Lottery teams could use immediate help at point guard — Sacramento, Memphis, Minnesota, Washington and Phoenix — and a couple others (Indiana, New York) should at least consider taking a PG early.
Listed at 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds, the 19-year-old Jennings no doubt scares GM’s who remember Sebastian Telfair at the same age. He’ll have to prove he can defend NBA guards, but his ball-handling and passing skills are untouched by anyone in this Draft class. He can score, too; as a senior at Oak Hill Academy, Jennings broke Josh Smith’s single-season scoring record while still racking up double-digit assists every night. In an up-tempo NBA system, I think he would flourish and be an instant impact player.
Would you use your team’s 2009 Lottery pick on Brandon Jennings?
March 26th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
rock says:
negative
dude has BUST written all over
March 26th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Big Sia says:
THE FUTURE OF THE PG POSITION
along with John Wall
March 26th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
nasirjones says:
potential all over the place, but will he able to live up to it? rubio is doin’ a better job right now in europe, but in 3 years we’ll be able to see who is the best pg of the 09 class
March 26th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
funkymunky says:
It’s a no-brainer. First, they count assists differently in Europe, so Brandon Jennings probably averaged more like 4 assists per game if they counted them like they do here. Second, Jennings is way more mature than Bassy was when he got drafted. Think about it. Bassy spent pretty much his entire life in Coney, where everyone told him he was the shit everyday. And then he gets drafted, and he has to be alone for the first time in his life in city on another coast. After spending all his life in Coney, there’s no way Bassy could have adjusted smoothly to an entire different life without some bumps and bruises along the way.
Jennings, on the other hand, already had that transition period, even before he headed off to Italy. He’s from LA, but he balled in Oak Hill, which is 2000 miles away and, from what I hear, is pretty much like a basketball boot camp. And THEN, as we all know, he had to learn to adjust to living in an entirely different country, while learning a different style of basketball. After going through all that, I think Jennings will be mature enough to handle an NBA gig.
March 26th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Dee says:
It will be a learning curve for Brandon or any of these PG coming into the L. Unless you are J-Kidd or CP3 it always takes time to bring PG alongs in the league and I don’t think it will be any different with Jennings. I think he can lead the the league in assist because he can pass his ass off but it will take some time because although he can pass…he can also jack shots up, and he is going to have to learn how to control that once he gets into the league.
And although, I am not the biggest Telfair fan, I can say that after 5 years in the league he is finally understanding the NBA game. When he gets the minutes, he ususally plays pretty well. But overall, I will say that Bassy has been one of the biggest dissapointments in the L.
March 26th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
haslem says:
respect for doing that in Euroleague. in NCAA he would have probably been a larger focal point of the team and his numbers would have been better. there he was just another player at a much more competitive level so it probably helped his game
March 26th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
jasondolemite says:
i agree with funkymunky. very well said. plus, Jennings gained much more experience overseas for a smoother transition to the nba. telfair is just now beginning to be a decent guard in the league after 4 years, but i believe jennings will find his groove much earlier…
March 26th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
ianodelaleza says:
i stil l think this guys a chump…he could be the next mj and i still wouldnt like him
hes too lazy to do his school work, thats why he went to europe, and he barely got any PT over there
IDL
March 26th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Marc Stein says:
He’s going to struggle defensively
March 26th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
doc says:
Hell yeah Id pick him.Whoever thought he was gonna put up crazy numbers dont know the game anyway.Who goes from highschool to the pros and drops numbers not named Lebron.Yall funny as shit.Rubio been the top prospect overseas for how long now and the dude wasnt averaging double figures like last year.
March 26th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
doc says:
@ianowhateverthefuckurnameis-Yeah he a chump and 1.2 million dollars heavier and could probably buy ur wife or girl for a night if he wanted because of it.And give them a education about pipe laying.
March 26th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
king ralf says:
hope the media and the team which drafts him, give him enough time to adjust to the nba and perfectly they have a vet teaching him for the first 1-3 yeats.
March 26th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
haslem says:
@doc
yea thats what I was saying. Europe is not the same place it was when the dream team just smashed every team in the olympics (they still would but only cuz there the freaking dream team)
its not like you go to Euro league and drop 30, they are pros, they practice, and they are good.
Jennings would have gotten better numbers in NCAA. specifically he would have been a much more focal point of the offense. there he was just another player.
March 26th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Chaos says:
Man dude needs to put on some muscle when he gets to the L. Lucky for him he is playing against grown men in Europe so he’s getting better experience there than he is if he was one and done in the ncaa
March 26th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
MoxWestCoastRep says:
didnt get to see much of BJ, but from the list I can tell you Holiday needs another year. He is way to immature with the ball and doesnt make good decisions. Very gifted though.
If I had to rank them for me
1. patty
2. Lawson
3.Tyreke
4.Collison
The rest aren’t true PGs. I like steph as an Eric Gordon type player. Douglas and Price can fill it up to but not as PGs
March 26th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
yoda says:
i saw few games where that kid played, and i wasn’t impressed. maybe because all that hype he got on dime ( and truth to be told, most of my info about hs/college players are from here), but he seemed kind of lost there. probably because in europe is more of a team ball then in usa, and he tried to solo too much, which didn’t went well. plus, he really needs to put some muscles and work on his D, because if euro pg’s gave him trouble, he will have hard time in nba. who knows, maybe one more year in euroleague would do him good.
March 26th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
the cynic says:
there is a big gap after Mills and Rubio
March 26th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
LakeShow84 says:
So colorful Doc lol
March 26th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
quest says:
B.U.S.T……………………….
March 26th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Balla says:
Not sure on this one…its hard to predict busts now.
Brandon Jennings…I see him as another TJ Ford.
Patty Mills…I see him only having good games against Orlando, Phoenix, any team Chris Paul is on, and any other team whos starting PG is under 6′ 1″.
March 26th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Balla says:
I will say Euro basketball is way different than the NBA in a sense of how the game is played. The competition is better than college, but not as good as the NBA.
In the NBA, the defense is mostly man with help D only if you are guarding a superstar, so you have to know how to create your own shot (ask JJ Redick) otherwise you won’t score too much…while in the Euro Leagues defense is more team oriented, where teams play alot of zone or help defense.
That’s why good individual players can look like superstars in the NBA but bad overseas. Why do you think the USA Dream Teams been having so many problems until last Olympics?
March 26th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
buffalo baller says:
Jennings
..will be a great addition to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants…
March 26th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
the truth. says:
…Dime is full of shit on Jennings and won’t admit it was a mistake for him to play in Italy and not on a NCAA team (Arizona) in the Sweet 16….he could have got PAID, more playing time and maybe even a real education in AZ….
March 26th, 2009 at 9:38 pm
Chuck says:
Mills to me looks a hell of a lot like a young tony parker – i think he will do just fine in the NBA – showed at the olympics by outrunning CP and JK that he can mix it with that class of player regardless of height – speed is a killer anyways
March 27th, 2009 at 2:41 am
The Oracle says:
How can you not include the Warriors in the list of teams that need PGs??!! I would almost venture to say they need one more than most or all of the tems you actually mentioned!!
Holiday or bust!!
March 27th, 2009 at 4:42 am
Austin Burton says:
The Warriors have come out and said their backcourt is full; Monta at PG, Jackson at SG, Watson as the backup PG, Belinelli as the backup SG. That’s why they want Crawford to opt-out of his contract.
March 27th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Kooley High says:
Jennings going overseas is still the smartest thing anyone did in 08. He is making money that the NCAA would not pay him and learning another culture. Also he gets to really see the business side of basketball because Europe is lowdown gritty and grimey when it comes to gettin paid or getting released. This kid is going to be fine, especially with the rules allowing guards and slashers to run shit on the court. In the right situation he could blossom, Phoenix would be perfect because they need to be excited about something and Shaq/Nash would have a guard to groom.
March 27th, 2009 at 9:20 am
Brown says:
I think he might be too much of a risk for the Warriors. They need to give Monta a chance to play pg before going in another direction.
Looks like the Ws will be picking up another PF in this year’s draft. I wish they’d make a trade for a legit big man. They have a lot of young talent and should be able to pull of a Garnett-like trade. Bosh maybe?
March 27th, 2009 at 9:55 am
Notorious says:
The kid is skinny, short and weak which does not bode well for an NBA future. The kid is dumber then a box of rocks, can’t even get into a college, and you want him to run a team?
B-U-S-T in BIG, BOLD letters. Enjoy that short term cash and make some good business, your future is bleak.
March 27th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
sure says:
You cant teach talent. Which he has loads of. If he went to college. He would have dominated easily. His skill set is very unique. He’s lefty and will be fine. I hope he comes to the Knicks. He has flair and would fit in perfect in the big city. STAR written all over him. When he reminds everyone of might mouse/kenny anderson. Get ready to jump on the wagon. I can’t wait for the rookie game. He reminds me also of white chocolate. He’ll bring more young excitement to the game.
May 20th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
JorDan HeAd says:
So we basically all sum it up 2 be, brandon jennings is a pure offensive minded score at will type guy, nd we all know tha dude aint got nobody’s defensence.! but u act like he cant go into the leauge nd practice defense nd work at it, just look at shane battier. nd nobody in thiz draft class can touch him beacuse he’s gettin better competition nd get paid plus game experience. but we all gon see thiz coming up season. any body wanna wanna share dey thoughts on tha subject hit me up at jhurd1193@yahoo.com nd shout out to Cezar guerreo, class of 2011 phenom, Plays kinda like a mix between allen iverson nd j-kidd.
May 27th, 2009 at 11:06 am
TruthSpeaker says:
Lolz, it amazes me how internet scrubs such as ‘Notorious’ talk about Jennings as if he’s a lesser person than them or something. This kid bypassed the NBA/NCAA kabal, got payed, got pro experience, stuggled a little bit, but is still on his way to the lottery. Seems pretty smart if you ask me. Jennings was not simply interested in College, if he really wanted to go he would have gone sought out the appropriate tutoring and went to college. Listen to his interviews, he not any dumber than he other blue chip prospects, I mean really you think he’s dumber than say a Beasley? quit hating..
Brandon could have played better in Europe, but he wasn’t going to ’star’ there, not at 18. That’s the type of league that imposes its will on you, no man is bigger than the league, especially not a young american. (in other words cards were already stacked against him, he had to pay his dues in the form of calls and physical play)
Meanwhile many still whole heartedly believe that Rubio will come in and light up the NBA just because he started play pro bal at an early age. Again, just because a few European leagues are tougher than the NCAA does not automatically mean a player will come in and perform better than a young american prospect. Euroleague is tougher than the NCAA, does that mean Rubio is more prepared, physically and mentally to perform at a high rookie level in NBA style of play than Derrick Rose? No it just means he has more pro experience. The next phenom at point guard will be next year’s draft, his name is John Wall.
To the american detractors, Jennings plays one year in college and everyone is all over him. Chill, he’ll be aight in the grand scheme of things.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Seven Duece says:
Truthspeaker – You’re so on point with that! But, I still say Jennings is going to make a lot of people regret passing him in the draft. Even if it’s only 5 or 6 teams.
November 28th, 2009 at 10:19 am
notadamus says:
I predict that BJ will be a bust. It’s almost impossible for a rookie PG to have an impact in this league. Whichever team that drafts him will regret it. Someone like Jordan Hill will have a much greater impact….mark my words!
November 28th, 2009 at 11:35 am
ProphetGK says:
HAHAH EVERYONE WHO SAID HE WAS GONNA BE A BUST, FAILLLL!!!
November 29th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Jer Boi says:
i was gna just do what ProphetGK did haha
notadamus is just a retard how can u say that on november 28th 09? hes already proven hes not a bust..
December 1st, 2009 at 9:48 am
bill says:
I believe all the basketball geniuses who said Jennings was going to fail are unphased by their stupidity and will keep making dumb comments for the rest of their lives unfortunately for the rest of us.