Brandon Jennings, the Undersized Guard
Posted on | March 14, 2010 | 1 Comment
He took the unconventional route, opting to play overseas instead of college hoops. His stock fell as his inconsistent minutes led many critics to believe he couldn’t hang in the Euroleague, much less the NBA. Many felt he would’ve been a top 5 pick in 2008 draft and yet he fell all the way to 10th in the weaker, PG-heavy draft. Then the season started and he absolutely blew everyone away. Bandwagons were being jumped, tweets were being tweeted, and Jennings was being touted as the next big thing. Some were quick to point out that his widely popularized failure in Italy was actually not all that bad. He learned the rigors of traveling and practicing for a hard-nosed coach all while living thousands of miles away from his family. It wasn’t long before he was the frontrunner for ROY after his near triple-double debut and his double nickel against the Warriors. Then December happened. Then January and February. Now March.
So who is the real Brandon Jennings? The brilliant, electric guard that was leading the bucks to an impressive 8-3 start? Or is he hitting the mythical rookie wall (albeit a rather large one)? His splits for each month are as follows:
November: 42.0 FG%, 49.3 3PT%, 78.5 FT%, 22.1ppg, 3.8rpg, 5.6apg, 1.1stls, 3.3tos
December: 37.6 FG%, 32.4 3PT%, 84.8 FT%, 16.7ppg, 3.4rpg, 6.5apg, 0.9stls, 2.2tos
January: 32.4 FG%, 35.2 3PT%, 84.0 FT%, 14.2ppg, 3.3rpg, 6.6apg, 1.5stls, 2.2tos
February: 30.7 FG%, 31.1 3PT%, 79.1 FT%, 10.7ppg, 3.6rpg, 5.5apg, 1.5stls, 1.9tos
March: 37.3 FG%, 41.7 3PT%, 84.2 FT%, 14.0ppg, 3.2rpg, 6.0apg, 1.2stls, 3.0tos
From this we can see a consistent downward trend in his FG%, 3PT%, and ppg while everything else has either remained unchanged or improved (stls, TOs). While a drought in scoring may not be the end of the world for most, Jennings has always been a scorer in a point guard’s body.
Let’s take a look at some advanced shooting statistics by the wonderfully resourceful Hoopdata. Here I’ll sort among point guards who play meaningful minutes (25+mpg) to put things into a more insightful perspective. Just for fun let’s throw in a few mystery players to spice things up.
Player A: 40.5% At Rim, 36.8% <10ft, 30.1% 10-15ft, 35% 16-23ft, 57.5 eFG% 3PT
Player B: 37.8% At Rim, 40% <10ft, 20% 10-15ft, 27% 16-23ft, 55.5 eFG% 3PT
Player C: 50.5% At Rim, 42.7% <10ft, 48.9% 10-15ft, 40% 16-23ft, 57.3 eFG% 3PT
Naturally, I wouldn’t expect you to discern from these stats who each player is, but rather use it as a comparison point for undersized point guards. The players are as follows: Brandon Jennings, Rafer Alston, Aaron Brooks. Fist pounds to anyone who legitimately guessed that.
After the initial trust he established with Skiles, Jennings has been benched lately during critical stretches late in the game. Throughout his rookie campaign, two things have stuck out, his inability to finish around the rim and his propensity to shoot threes. These two shots alone account for more than half of his attempts, as they should, however the problem lies with his ability to finish at an efficient rate. Interestingly, Jennings’ shot was the biggest complaint from critics prior to the season, and now his three-point shooting is keeping him afloat, barely.
Each of the guards I selected are generally undersized, weight and/or height, and compensate with their speed. They all shoot below the league average for a point guard around the rim, 56.9%, and around average for threes, 54.6%. While Alston has had a decent career, he is certainly not HoF material, much less all-star caliber. Alternately, Brooks is currently taking reservations to his own all-star party in 2011. Like Jennings, he’s lightning quick and can hit from deep. Although he’s listed at a generous 6’0”(seriously he looks like nate out there) he finishes markedly better around the basket.
If Jennings hopes to live up to any of the hype he’ll need to evolve his inside-outside game. Initially, he relied on his change of speeds and quickness to get to the hole, but defenses have slowly begun to pick up on his nuances. So how is a small, quick guard supposed to compete with the giants of the NBA? Cue Tony Parker Mix.
If you watch the video you’ll see that Parker, a similarly small, quick guard, not only finishes well, but quite fluidly, too. Here’s how he does it:
Angles: Parker may be among the best in the league in utilizing angles to put the ball in the basket. Necessity breeds success, and TP is successful 64.3% of the time. He’ll shoot over you, under you and right by you. He’ll spin the ball, arc it over, and scoop it under. Any way he sees fit, he can and will put the ball in the hole. A few times in the highlight mix you can see two or three players going up to block the shot only to have it softly cascade over their fingertips. His greatest success probably stems from his lack of dependency on the glass. By developing his mini teardrop he keeps the defenses off-balance and unsure of when and where he’ll shoot.
Double Clutch: Perhaps the skill TP relies on the least, but nevertheless an important one. One of the first things you realize in the NBA is that someone is always in your way, and because of that you need to be able to put up a clean shot after the initial roadblock. To some double clutching may seem like forcing a shot that isn’t there, but Parker shows virtually the opposite. If the shot isn’t initially there because of a defender’s anticipation or timing, double clutching can often forego forcing a shot for a second look at a better one.
Body Control: None of this would be possible without amazing balance and body control. Being among the smaller, lighter populace of the NBA this isn’t always an easy feat. TP, however, has mastered this skill that affords him tremendous consistency. He regularly absorbs blows from bigger players and instead of relying on the whistle he regains his balance to put up one his patented teardrops. He controrts himself, readjusts, and sacrifices his body just to square himself up for a good look. One of his greatest assets is his complete disregard for his well-being. Often times you’ll find him on the floor after a tough lay-up not because he’s selling a foul, but because there was simply no way for him to land on his feet. Even when Parker blows past both his defender and the help defender it’s essential that he maintains control so that he can capitalize on an open lay-up.
Luckily, Jennings is, or was, comfortable using his teardrop, but he’ll have to find greater consistency for it to be a threat. The Bucks have now won 11 of their past 12 games with their three most recent coming against a Lebron-less Cleveland, Boston, and Utah. Coincidentally, Jennings has picked up his play over the last three games, but their recent run has largely been due to their defense. His success in Milwaukee, and the NBA, is predicated on more than just developing his finishing around the rim, but if he can replicate Parker’s success on the inside to any degree the Bucks will be scary good for years to come.
Related posts:
- Brandon Jennings Highlights, KG sinks a 75 footer, and LeBron gets nasty on Ellis
- The Mid-Afternoon Milk Mustache, featuring a double nickel for Brandon Jennings
Comments
One Response to “Brandon Jennings, the Undersized Guard”
Leave a Reply
March 14th, 2010 @ 9:58 am
[...] NBA transition. Has this increase in play lead Jennings to his recent statistical decline? See Brandon Jennings, the Undersized Guard, courtesy of Stacheketball, for a complete look at the guards recent struggles. Share TRW With [...]