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Prospect Profile: Brandon Jennings

by Ricky Henne, NYKnicks.com


Posted May 29 2009 8:45 p.m.

May 29 2009 8:46PM
  • Draft Central

    In the days leading up to the NBA Draft, NYKnicks.com will look at the top-rated players potentially available to teams with lottery picks in the 2009 NBA Draft. We offer these profiles for fans to familiarize themselves with some of the biggest names in the draft. A player's inclusion in this series of articles is based purely on his rankings in the scouting services and mainstream media and does not necessarily reflect the Knicks organization's preferences for the June 25 Draft at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

    We continue our series with a profile of flashy point guard Brandon Jennings, a consensus top lottery pick according to major scouting services and numerous publications.

  • Photo Gallery: Brandon Jennings

    For years, it has seemed Brandon Jennings has been destined for NBA stardom. His path to the big show, however, might go down as one of the most unique stories in the history of the league.

    A highly coveted prospect coming out of high school, where he was a McDonald’s All-American, Jennings committed to playing at Arizona before throwing the basketball world a curve, opting to play professionally overseas in Italy instead.

    As a young 19-year old playing for Lottomatica Roma in the Italian League and Euroleague, Jennings struggled early on in his transition to the professional ranks and the European game. Once he got comfortable, however, the 6-foot-2, 165-pounder more than held his own. In 30 Italian League games, he recorded 5.5 points, 2.3 assists and 1.6 rebounds in 17 minutes per game, while in 16 Euroleague matches he averaged 7.6 points, 1.6 assists and 1.6 rebounds in just over 19 minutes per game.

    On the court, Jennings possesses a flair for the dramatic that critics used to hold against him, regarding him as brash and arrogant. Now, scouts agree that his time amongst the professionals overseas has done wonders for him. While still the same player both capable and willing to make the flashy pass or a rim-rocking dunk, Jennings has matured to the point where he has become a true floor general. No longer is he just a freakish athlete able to survive on his skills alone, but he turned himself into a true basketball player in every sense of the word.

    Still, the main knock on Jennings is that even though his decision making is getting better, he still tends to play out of control at times. He also struggles to shoot the ball consistently from behind the arc and isn’t the strongest ball-handler, but those are all areas expected to be corrected with proper tutelage in the NBA.

    Without question, Jennings is one of the most talented prospects available on June 25, and most scouts agree had he decided to play at Arizona, Jennings would have experienced the same collegiate success as the other freshmen in this year’s draft class. The question now is if he will make the most successful pro in the NBA.

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