Washington Wizards We Forgot: Brandon Jennings

As we continue with everybody’s favorite series, we move on to another short-tenured Washington Wizard, Brandon Jennings.

As we continue with our series, “Wizards We Forgot” we have to keep one thing in mind. While most of these guys are big-name(ish) and may have come with some excitement, their tenures while with the Washington Wizards were never incredible.

A few of the players who we have highlighted thus far, Rashard Lewis, Kirk Hinrich, and Mike Bibby are all guys who many forgot even played for the Wizards. For those who do remember their tenures, the memories definitely aren’t the best.

Well, hopefully, our next guy can change the narrative!

Brandon Jennings’ time in DC was short but it was lightning in a bottle, to say the least. Let’s take a look.

Reliving Brandon Jenning’s short Washington Wizards career.

The Lead Up

Brandon Jennings was selected 10th by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2009 NBA Draft. He was supposed to come in and be the new face of the franchise. Although he had moments, including a 55-point game his rookie season, Jennings never became the superstar some expected, but he had a solid career playing in Milwaukee and Detroit.

Throughout his career, Jennings was best known for his ability to create off the dribble. At his peak, he was known as a lightning-quick, lethal scorer. The definition of a walking bucket.

Unfortunately for Jennings, injuries derailed his career. At just 25 years old, when it looked like he was finally putting it all together, Jennings tore his Achilles. He was never the same

After his time with the Pistons, Jennings bounced around the NBA. First, he was traded to Orlando. Then he signed on with the Carmelo Anthony-Derrick Rose-Joakim Noah led Knicks in 2016. Remember that squad?

After a short, up and down stint in New York, Jennings was cut right after the trade deadline in February 2017. That’s where the Wizards come in.

Death-Row DC

In the midst of their best season in over 40 years, the 2017 Washington Wizards were in need of a little bit of  “punch” off the bench as they prepared for the playoffs. After trading for sharpshooter Bojan Bogdanovic, the Wizards signed Jennings to help bolster the bench.

Having Bogdanovic, Jennings, and Kelly Oubre off the bench looked like enough firepower. On paper, that’s a solid second-unit.

As soon as he got to DC, Jennings fit right in with style and attitude that a lot of the Wizards players such as Markieff Morris, John Wall, and Kelly Oubre had.

Jennings was a scrappy guard who was notorious around the league as being really good at getting under people’s skin. He had that chip on the shoulder, not backing down from anybody type of swagger that became known around the league as, ‘Death Row DC’.

However, as far as his play on the court, Jennings left a lot to be desired.

As a Wizard, he could not hit water if he fell out of a boat. Jennings has always been known as a streaky shooter, however, in DC, it was a bit one-sided.

In 23 regular-season games, Jennings shot just 27 percent from the field and 21 percent from three while with the Wizards.

Once he hit the playoffs, Jennings shooting misfortunes affected his confidence. Or at least his volume. His attempts went down from about 7.4 to 3.8 per game.

All in all, Jennings’ biggest downfall in DC was his inability to shoot from the field. He did not turn the ball over much and did a solid job distributing and pushing the pace off the bench.

But scoring was always his bread and butter. With that not working, he was a bit of a non-factor.

At least his time in DC was entertaining, if not successful.

Final Thoughts

Jennings didn’t play all that great with the Wizards, but he always made things interesting. It seemed like every other game Jennings was getting into it with someone.

In a league that has become rather soft, we see a lot of fouls, but if anything escalates, it usually calms down rather quickly.

Well, Jennings was always one to test those boundaries, and his tenure in DC captured just that.

If you search “Brandon Jennings Wizards” on youtube, you probably won’t find many highlights, but you will find multiple clips of him getting in people’s faces and being ready to go at any moment.

There was the time he mixed it up with Terry Rozier.

And then the time he set Jared Dudley off.

Or, my personal favorite, this flagrant foul on JaVale McGee.

With a team like the 2017 Wizards who had a lot to prove and a massive chip on their shoulders, they needed to show it. With that type of mentality, you need guys who are not afraid to get scrappy. Brandon Jennings did just that.  He epitomized the ‘Death Row DC’ mantra that became so beloved by Wizards fans.

Jennings’s time in DC on the court may not have been what fans may have wanted, but at the very least, he kept things interesting.