Washington Wizards: Brandon Jennings Has Reinvented Himself In D.C.
By Ben Mehic
Washington Wizards guard Brandon Jennings was always known for his selfish style of play, but he’s reinvented himself in D.C.
In his seventh game with the Milwaukee Bucks, Brandon Jennings scored 55 points in a win over the Golden State Warriors. Normally, a performance of that caliber would catapult a player into talks of being one of the best young guards in the NBA, leading to a prosperous future.
But it ultimately doomed Jennings.
Now, seven years after scoring 55 points, Jennings finds himself with the Washington Wizards backing up John Wall – a point guard he was compared to whey they first entered the league.
Jennings joined the Wizards on a one-year pact after being waived by the New York Knicks less than a month ago.
Needing someone to lead the second unit, Washington opted to sign Jennings, whom they’ve had a not so pleasant history with.
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The 6-foot guard has earned a reputation of being one of the most irritating players in the NBA- a gnat-like player who purposely gets under the opponent’s skin.
Even more enticing than his annoying presence was Jennings’ ability to score the ball.
Washington’s bench has been 29th in scoring, rivaled only by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The addition of Bojan Bogdanovic helped bolster the second unit, but Scott Brooks needed a ball handler – someone who can operate an offense and navigate traffic when Wall takes a breather.
Jennings, a known shot-jacker, appeared hesitant in his first games as a Wizard.
He frequently mentioned how the Wizards’ offensive style was different than what he was accustomed to in New York – how the ball moved and wasn’t reliant on a single player for complete production.
Talent-wise, Jennings is arguably the best backup the Wizards have found for Wall. The former 10th overall pick led the Bucks to the NBA Playoffs while averaging over 19 points per game. That alone separates him from the journeymen Washington’s usually had leading the bench.
Surprisingly, though, Jennings has taken on a new role with the Wizards – one that doesn’t necessarily involve him chucking shots out of rhythm.
Jennings has become a playmaker for the Wizards, focusing more on distributing the ball and finding his teammates.
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Per-36 minutes, Jennings has averaged a career-high 12.8 assists per game. His previous career-high was four less than his current.
His ball handling and creativity has given the Washington Wizards a dimension they sorely lacked with Trey Burke handling the backup duties.
Small things, like keeping a fast pace, have made a difference, according to Scott Brooks.
“With Brandon [Jennings], he comes in and the pace is still in full-throttle and that’s what we want,” said Brooks after the Wizards’ 104-100 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
“With John [Wall] playing the 34-36 minutes, Brandon can come in there and keep the pace going and I think that helps us.”
Now that Bogdanovic consistently leads the second unit in scoring, Jennings has naturally become more of a pass-first guard. Normally, that type of change would take a long adjustment, but Jennings has quickly become comfortable in the unselfish role.
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“It seems like every game – and it’s not easy to do – but it’s almost like clockwork for Brandon when he has five or six assists in the 13-15 minutes that he plays,” Brooks said. “That’s very efficient offensive point guard basketball. His shot is starting to fall a little bit. He makes plays for us with his passing.”