Category Archives: Brandon Jennings
You’ve heard it a million times and of course you’d expect stock answer after stock 
answer from potential prospects. But the most positive thing that any fan can take out of prospects meeting with the media following workouts is that you get the feeling they can come in and play right away in this system, making New York an attractive sell ON the court, which is a far cry then what it was a short time ago.
“I really want to come here, I’m not gonna lie,” Brandon Jennings said after today’s workout. “D’Antoni’s system is great for all point guards. You seen what he did for Steve Nash MVP back-to-back years and the Suns were one of the most exciting teams to watch for those two years, so you know his system is great for me.”
Tyreke Evans was also quick to point out that he’s sees himself as a D’Antoni-type player.
“I think it would be a great fit for me,” said Evans. “I’m a basketball player, I can play the point guard position if you give me the ball you know I can make things happen. At the 2 guard position I can score as well. I’m good at both.”
Although it’s great to hear, and you love the fact there IS some excitement to play here, it seems like, at least the way I see it, they think this system is a bit of a free-for-all. In actuality, there is real structure here.
It’s more than just running and pick and rolls and shooting quick in the shot clock.
Which leads us to Jennings. Coming in I felt that the kid is a bit of a loose cannon and he did little to squash my opinion on that. He’s loud, brash and really confident. Okay, let’s face it, he’s a bit of a knucklehead, which is fine except when you’re developing team chemistry it’s very important who you bring in. ESPECIALLY at the point.
You’d have to wonder, really wonder, if D’Antoni would subject himself to that again having had to put up with the apparently soon-to-be-jettisoned Nate Robinson. Sure, they are two different people, but you’d have to imagine D’Antoni and Walsh would be leery about who they bring in to the mix from a total personality and skills standpoint.
The plot thickens.
Notes:
Jennings on his recent comments regarding Rubio:
“I was having too much fun with it. He’s not all hype. The kid has more experience than everybody in this draft, he’s been playing since he was 14. He’s a great player, he did his thing in the Olympics. Overall, he’s a great person. I know him, we did a photo shoot together. No disrespect to Ricky Rubio.”
Evans on his improved jumpshot:
“Definitely. Came in today and showed them I could shoot. At Memphis a lot people thought it was my downfall, but I got in the gym and worked on it alot and I’m really confident in it now.
Jennings on if he will fall to the Knicks at 8:
“I don’t know. I’ve been hearing there will be a lot of trades in the draft, so I really don’t know.”
Via ZagsBlog.
“…The Knicks will continue their search for a point guard on Monday when they work out Memphis freshman Tyreke Evans and California native Brandon Jennings at their Westchester campus.
Louisville junior forward Earl Clark of Rahway, N.J. will also work out for head coach Mike D’Antoni, as will UConn senior guard Craig Austrie and Gonzaga sophomore forward Austin Daye.
The Knicks hold the No. 8 pick in the June 25 NBA Draft and have already worked out the following point guards: Levance Fields of Pittsburgh, Jonny Flynn of Syracuse, Ty Lawson of North CArolina, Steph Curry of Davidson and Jrue Holiday of UCLA.
The 6-foot-6 Evans, MVP of last year’s McDonald’s All-American Game, was the consensus National Freshman of the Year. He thrived after former Memphis coach John Calipari moved him to point guard from the wing following a loss to Syracuse that dropped the Tigers to 6-3.
The Tigers won 27 straight before falling to Missouri in a West Regional semifinal. More.
Courtesy of the Sac Bee…
Holiday was in for his second workout with the Kings, but the spotlight was off of him mainly because he was faced off against Notre Dame point guard Kyle McAlarney. The winner of this main event, during and after, was Jennings. But because there was no extended video permitted to be shot (no surprise there considering the high stakes of this kind of face off), I decided to take verbal notes while watching the scrimmage. For the most curious of you out there, here is a play-by-play that is somewhat revealing. The bolded line was the highlight of the outing.
- Jonny misses jumper over Jennings
- Flynn and Jennings guarding each other, Holiday with Notre Dame guy
- Jennings denies Flynn, plays tight
- Jennings gets free off screen, hits jumper in the lane
- Jennings short on jumper top of key against Flynn
- Flynn misses drive,
- Jennings takes charge from big, nope they called block
- Holiday rotates on Jennings, who stutter steps gets around him right baseline and hits layup – no problem getting by Holiday
- Notre Dame guy hits jumper left baseline from Holiday assist
- Jennings loses Flynn on pick, finds guy for dunk coming left
- Jennings steps back, almost three top of arc over Flynn
- Jennings misses jumper over Flynn, left wing,
- Holiday dunk on the break, Jennings can’t get there for LeBron-style block (only lower)
- Flynn misses layup in traffic, Jennings the other way gets blocked – layup by Holiday
- Jennings loses Flynn on screen, misses layup baseline
- Flynn loses Jennings on screen up top, finds big man down low for layup
- Holiday big board in traffic with two others, finds big left wing – 20-footer good
- Flynn left wing, 20-footer
- Holiday pull-up left wing, good over big
- Flynn floats right, flip pass left wing, three-pointer good
- Flynn goes at Jennings in the lane, Jennings contests, and Flynn misses a five-footer
- Guard hits a long two over Holiday coming off a screen
- Jennings top of key stepback miss over Flynn
- Holiday right wing, finds big through traffic, layup good
- Holiday goes hard for layup, Jennings contests and Holiday misses
- Holiday driving left, finds Flynn on right wing, who buries a three
- Jennings misses three from top, somewhat contested
- Jennings takes a spill in the three-man weave, gets quick breather and is back at it again
- Holiday throws to self on three-man weave off backboard for the dunk.
Sounds like this was a great workout. Jennings is a player who is gaining serious momentum.
Okay, so I’ve had the chance to watch some video and talk to some guard prospects and have 
heard some scouting reports from people’s camps, but at the end of the day the best information that I have to go on are the countless times I’ve seen the prospects play. For guys like Ricky Rubio or Brandon Jennings, who I really didn’t have the chance to see play much, it would appear that they still appear to be the first two guards taken, although the Kings may have a different say in that.
So without further adieu, here’s my take on the guards in order:
1- Ricky Rubio- What Jennings says aside, Rubio is still the premiere PG in this draft. He’s been playing elite-level professional basketball since he was 15 and from what I saw more than held his own against Team Redeem. In a free space-type system with adequate playmakers, the guy could be scary good. In a slow down, plodding half court set he will still find shots for teammates, but his jump shot could be exposed. That doesn’t mean he can’t be a solid jumpshooter. Remember Jason Kidd couldn’t hit a jumper coming out of college either and became a more-than-efficient spot/set shooter as his career progressed. And as far as the individual performances Jennings is referring to, remember basketball is a team game.
2- Jrue Holiday- I know, I’ve been more than high on Holiday, but here’s why in a word: Strength. Say what you want about play making and facilitating, and those are certainly important, I’ll take a guy who can do those things and is a rugged body. He weighed in a shade under 200 lbs and the kid still has the athleticism to make plays and will definitely be a ball-hawking guard his entire career. Derek Harper, or more recently Chauncey Billups are players you can equate Holiday’s frame to as well as the fact that they learned to be efficient lead NBA guards. The Knicks need two-way players, which is why I’m so confident that Holiday would be a great choice. Again, questions about his jumper have surfaced, but as we said with Rubio, that comes down to putting the time in to get better.
3- Brandon Jennings- I’ve talked to plenty of people in the AAU circuit who believe Jennings is the best PG prospect in the draft. That’s good enough for me, however something about his personality rubs me the wrong way. I’ve never met the kid, so that could be deemed as unfair, but when you feel the need to call out Rubio, as he did in Sacramento yesterday, something about it irks me. People know Rubio can play. Granted, Rubio has a ton of hype and he should play against the best, but at the end of the day Brandon just worry about yourself.
4- Stephen Curry- I’ll be more than happy with Curry and his ability to shoot if he gets drafted by the Knicks. Can you imagine Danilo and Curry surrounding the perimeter on kick outs? Man. However, I can imagine both spending time on the DL, and that’s a risk that Walsh needs to be careful with two years in a row. Obviously, you can’t predict injuries, that’s part of the deal with drafts, but I do have some concerns with Curry over 82 games. Still, he’s a great fit.
5- Tyreke Evans- This is a guy I’ve truly done the most homework on. There was a reason why Memphis won games and it was because Evans was making the decisions. I underestimated this fact. He can guard 3 positions, but how well is anyone’s guess. I’ve had people tell me that he does go for cheap steals and “falls asleep sometimes” on the help side. That is what makes me most leery. I was more inclined to classify Evans as a two, but he can fit as a one. He’d be a great value pick at 8, and can improve defensively, but hearing stuff about his defense makes me a little worried. Odds are Evans ends up in either Sacramento or Minnesota.
6- Jonny Flynn- What’s not to like about Flynn? His energy, his passion and his ability to make plays are great qualities. Sure, he can tone down the bursts of intense in-your-face trash talking, but you’d have to figure maturity will occur. In fact, I was very impressed with how he dealt with reporters in New York and Sacramento. I feel what separates Flynn from the others is his ability to pull up in the lane under control, get in the lane or make jumpers, which, as all well-schooled point guards know, falls under the category of “decision making.” I question his defense and his long distance shooting, especially off pick and rolls, which is why he falls on my board. But, I’m a fan and would gladly take him at 8.
7- Ty Lawson- A safe pick and a player who’s accustomed to the NBA game. He’s as good a two-way option as you can get, if you can get past his size. I think he’s going to be a solid NBA player for a long time, and isn’t that really what you should be looking for via the draft? As I’ve said before, don’t underestimate Lawson’s tournament-saving performance against LSU.
8- Eric Maynor- Another great value pick should Maynor fall to the teens. The kid knows he can excel in a system that is up-tempo and we agree. Not sure if he’s a ready-made starter, which is why he’s ranked behind the rest. You’d much rather have an older prospect ready to jump in right away and run the show. Not sure Maynor is that for a border-line playoff team. But he can be an instant rotation player.
9- Darren Collison- Much like Maynor, Collison would be a great off the bench 15-20 minute-a-night guard right away. How much is that valued? We’ll see.
10- Jeff Teague- Tough to judge why Teague has fallen so much, but you’d have to imagine he’s just too streaky. Had the draft been in January he’d have been a top 5 pick, but clearly he wasn’t that spectacular. If he can find some consistency, he’s a steal.
11- Patty Mills- Mills couldn’t raise his stock in Europe, but his style is still fit for the NBA game. He’ll get a shot somewhere because he can get into seems and kick out. But he’ll have to learn how to defend at the NBA level if he’s going to get minutes.
In keeping with the Jennings theme, check out the Sac Bee’s video.
At the end of the first video Jennings was asked if Rubio was all hype after talking about the one time when he played him and apparently got the best of him. His answer, “yup.” Then he really goes off.
He also went on to say that if Rubio worked out with the likes of Jennings, Flynn, Ty Lawson, Stephen Curry and Jrue Holiday that we probably wouldn’t be “the top.”
Jennings just Tweeted back to someone knocking him for his Rubio comments. It’s easy to assume that “he” is Rubio.
“…so that means he’s better then me??? He’s not sorry, he’s a good player. I just wanna workout against everybody…”
Yesterday, Alan Hahn wrote about the Knicks inquiring to move up for a
shot at UConn center Hasheem Thabeet. Recently, Marc Berman wrote about Donnie Walsh’s infatuation with the center. Even today, Berman wrote a blurb in his article about the possibility of moving up to select Thabeet.
This blog appears to be drastically split on Thabeet. Some would love to see Thabeet in blue and orange. Others, such as Tommy, would steer clear of him at all costs. Consider me somewhere in the middle.
The Knicks do not have the assets to move up in this draft to take Thabeet. The Knicks’ best assets include Cuttino Mobley’s contract and Wilson Chandler. Oh, that is not including the 8th pick. Is Thabeet worth trading up for? Of course Walsh can have a trick up his sleeve to get a higher pick, but that is not for sure.
Thabeet will be a good shot-blocker in my opinion. His offensive game is suspect, but as with any young kid, there is always room for growth. Thabeet also is not a lumbering big man. He can run the floor well and he can keep up on the fast break. He could help this team a lot. But will he help this team more than Curry, Flynn, or Holiday? Will he help the team more than DeRozan or Evans? Perhaps he might, but I am not sure.
There is no denying where Thabeet’s buzz is coming from in this draft. The next best center in the draft is Ohio State’s BJ Mullens (who works out today for the Knicks). Mullens, who floundered in his first and only year at Ohio State, is not even projected to go in the lottery. Would Thabeet be a top 3 pick if Cole Aldrich or Greg Monroe declared this year? Probably not. As the only true center, Thabeet has a lot of leverage this year.
If the Knicks stay at 8 and Thabeet falls to them, I would be shocked if Walsh passed on him. At 8, without giving up other consideration, Thabeet has stronger value to the Knicks. But if Walsh trades up to the second spot and David Stern does not announce Ricky Rubio’s name, the Garden crowd might charge the stage like a scene out of ‘Braveheart’. However, if Thabeet does not go in the top 3 (which is highly unlikely), there is a shot that he could fall to #8. Sacramento has two recent lottery picks as it’s starting front-court. Washington is a possibility. Minnesota has Love and Jefferson. Golden State has Biedrins and would probably rather take Jordan Hill than Thabeet. That leaves the Knicks at 8. Again, Thabeet will likely not slip beyond OKC at #3, but it is possible.
Drafting Thabeet would look more appealing to many Knick fans if Walsh was able to acquire another draft pick to use on a player like Ty Lawson, Brandon Jennings, or another PG that might slip down the draft board. But just like trading up for Thabeet, Walsh has yet to acquire that later pick. He will not do so until either very close to the draft or during the draft. Decisions will be made quickly on draft night. As is this site on this topic, I am torn on Thabeet. Part of me wants to see much more out of this kid. Part of me wants to see all-star center potential from him. But in many games that I watched, he was a dominant shot-blocker and not much else. Foul trouble and a lacking offensive repertoire let my hopes down a bit.
Here is Chad Ford’s latest. He talks at length about Brandon Jennings’ Euro
experience and how he viewed by scouts, GMs, and coaches.
I get the feeling he might drop a bit, especially with the rise of Jrue Holiday and Jonny Flynn. A couple of months ago, I would have thought that Jennings was a lock for the top 10, if not the top 5 or 6. But other players (college players) have shown what they can do on national stages. They have shown what they can do in the combine. Etc., etc., etc..
At the combine, Ford polled GMs, and the outlook for Jennings looked bleak, at best. The consensus was that Jennings did not rank in their top 6 PGs in this draft. Rubio, Curry, Holiday, Evans, Flynn, and Teague were all ranked ahead of him. There are rumblings that the Bucks like Jeff Teague, perhaps enough to scoop him up at 10.
As things stand right now, unless the Warriors draft Jennings at 7 (and there are even rumblings that they might not go with a PG in this draft… that would be a mistake), I am not sure if Jennings will go in the top 10.
The Knicks will bring Jennings in for a workout before the draft. I will trust Walsh and D’Antoni on this kid. If they think that he can play, then I will believe it. If Curry, Evans and Holiday are gone, and the Knicks do not trade up for Rubio, then a trade down might be a good idea, especially if the Knicks like Jennings and he drops to being the 7th PG taken.
But I am unsure on Jennings. I’d be shocked to see him slip into the 20′s, but it would not be unprecedented to see stumble down the draft board. Last year Bayless fell out of the top ten even though some thought he would go as high as #4 to OKC (Seattle). In 2006, Marcus Williams was rumored to go as high as the Hawks in the top 10, but he slipped all the way into the 20′s. Things happen on draft night. With Jennings being such a question mark, and with the value of a 1st round pick increasing, some GMs might not be willing to take blind risks. As many GMs probably have not seen Jennings up close, the star European PG from LA might just be a blind risk that some GMs are not willing to take.
Donnie Walsh, obviously campaigning on the “Take Eddy Curry Please 2009 Tour” visited
the Knicks center’s workout and apparently came away “impressed” according to Curry’s tweets . Although, what else do you expect him to say?
“…While in Chicago yesterday, Walsh visited another Curry — Eddy.
According to Eddy Curry’s twitter blog, Walsh watched one of his
workouts and was impressed. The Knicks are hoping Curry drops 30 pounds
this summer. Walsh did not return phone messages….”
Berman also notes that Stephen Curry is still the front runner for the Knicks (I think it’s Holiday!) and that they are showing some interest in other players.
“…(Stephen) Curry has emerged as a front-runner for the Knicks, because the
club’s top focus is selecting a scoring, playmaking guard. Davidson
coach Bob McKillip told The Post two weeks ago an intermediary told
Curry’s father, Dell, the Knicks were leaning heavily toward taking
Curry, but a report the club gave a guarantee was inaccurate.USC shooting guard Demar DeRozan and explosive point guard Brandon
Jennings, who leapt from high school to Italy last season, also are
drawing interest from the Knicks…”
Since I am a man of the people, I understand fans getting frustrated at all the Stephen Curry buzz. Some of you want to hear more about other options at the guard position. So here we go.
The word that I would use to describe Eric Maynor is “solid.” I like Maynor, who like Stephen Curry, also excelled at a small school. To be fair, I knocked him for his performance against UCLA in the tournament. Maynor had trouble with Jrue Holiday. Now, I never judge a player based on one game, so here’s what I see from Maynor.
Maynor has big-game qualities and isn’t afraid of the big shot. Again, like Curry, Maynor was forced to take games over with a high volume of shots yet it didn’t affect his shooting numbers.That was also a result of trying to expand his game for the NBA scouts.
Early in the season it appeared Maynor was trying to do a bit too much and that affected his decision making. In his first 11 games Maynor had 4 games of over 5 turnovers. He did settle down the rest of the season finishing with a 2-to-1 assist-to- TO ratio.
Maynor definitely needs to get stronger, but I love his defense particularly his length. He definately has solid quarterback skills and he has a slight chip on his shoulder, which is a result of constantly being overlooked. I think he’s a mid first round pick because he doesn’t have the ceiling that a Johnny Flynn has or the pedigree of playing at hyper speed like Ty Lawson. He’s not a lights out long distance shooteror a superior athlete. But in many cases that is an advantage to a team that will draft him because a solid, capable player falls in their lap. If the Knicks can manage to trade down I have zero problem with taking Maynor, who may not have the explosion and open court speed for Coach D’Antoni’s offense, but is just a flat-out solid point guard prospect across the board.
Jennings, to me, is a player who I’m really rooting for based on the fact that his game is very similar to my childhood hero Kenny Anderson. He’s got the ball on a string and can squeeze into seems and make plays. If he can handle the grind of the NBA season, physically, then he’s a star in the making.
It will be very interesting to see just how Jennings has progressed. I think he’s by far a better player for playing in Europe. I remember my friend and I started playing against 30 year old men when I was about 13 and it made us both physically and mentally tougher. Should NBA execs see that growth from Jennings, you can expect the floodgates to open for high school players heading to Europe.
Apparently, Jennings has really matured and that’s a great sign because his minutes have evaporated based on the fact that he is playing at the most elite level. But according to draftexpress, he’s taking it in stride.
“…Gone is the brash, arrogant teenager with the Kid ’N Play style flat-top who dominated the ball in absolute fashion and looked first and foremost for his own shot, his stats and the ultimate high-light play. In his place is a much more mature, respectful young man, always cheering on his teammates, showing great body language and painstakingly trying to do what his coaches ask of him, almost to a fault at times.
In the second quarter, Jennings comes up with a steal and has a three on two transition opportunity. Not seeing the angle he was looking for, he pulls the ball out, waits for his teammates to run down the floor and calls a play, to the shock of everyone in attendance who had watched him play in America. “The Brandon Jennings of old would have never passed up that opportunity” the Director of Player Personnel sitting next to us points out while nodding his head. “Gotta limit those turnovers” Jennings explains to us afterwards. “My job is to be a pass-first point guard…”
Certainly, Jennings is a more than capable to lead this offense, eventually, but there are other teams like Minnesota, Golden State and Memphis who could use such a talent at who can eventually take over the lead guard position. Each has the edge in drafting ahead of the Knicks who would appear content to stay and wait for Curry instead of trade up to get Jennings.
- Jennings is playing in Rome and has set up a blog with underarmour.
- Also, I’m hearing plenty of rumors circling around the city that Lance is almost assured to go overseas. I hope he stays home and picks St. John’s.
- Check out 2ndroundreach’s comparison of this year’s Knicks to the 2005-06 Suns.
- Also, thanks for coming to the party TrueHoop, we were on the economy angle 2 months ago.
