Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings next man up at point guard

The Milwaukee Bucks recently signed Brandon Jennings to a 10-day contract. Is he the player who will help the Bucks improve their seeding?

The Milwaukee Bucks have had issues at the point guard position for key parts of this season. At the start, they were not getting enough production from Matthew Dellavedova. They were also not getting good enough defense from Malcolm Brogdon.

Then the Bucks traded Greg Monroe for Eric Bledsoe and the rotation looked set. Bledsoe would start, while Brogdon and Dellavedova were able to provide a spark off the bench. However, then Dellavedova got injured for the first time.

Through Bledsoe and Brogdon, the point guard spot was still covered. Dellavedova came back and the rotation seemed to work again, with Milwaukee going 14-10 over the next 24 games.

However, in the space of a few days the Bucks lost both Brogdon and Dellavedova to injury. This placed tremendous pressure on the remaining guards. The Bucks have gone 7-8 since both went out.

The race for seeding in the Eastern Conference is tight. The playoff teams appear to be set but where each team finishes has yet to be determined. The Detroit Pistons are six games back from the eighth seed.

The Bucks are in eighth, half a game back of the Miami Heat in seventh. They are also only four games out of the third seed, currently held by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Jennings regression

Brandon Jennings was a stud in his first four seasons after being drafted by the Bucks. He averaged 16.9 points, 5.7 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. He was traded to the Pistons, where he had two more strong seasons.

However, Jennings tore his Achilles while playing in Detroit. There are very few players who have been able to come back from this particular injury and be the same player they were beforehand.

Jennings was averaging 16.5 points per game prior to the injury. Since coming back, Jennings has not averaged more than 7.1 points per game in a season. This shows he has lost the ability to blow past his defender with any regularity.

However, it is not all doom and gloom for Jennings. He is still averaging 5.5 assists per game this season. This shows he still has the court awareness that enables him to be a decent point guard.

Jennings’ loss of quickness has also hurt his defense. Prior to his injury, Jennings did not average less than 1.1 steals per game in any season he played. Since his return, Jennings managed to average 0.9 per game for one season, but is mainly below 0.7 per game.

Should he stay once everyone is back?

The big question is whether Jennings should stay with the Bucks once everyone is back. The easiest answer for this is yes. The Bucks cleared a roster spot for Jennings when they waived Mirza Teletovic and plan to sign him to a second 10-day contract:

Jennings is a low-cost, potentially high-reward player. He has experience running teams, including three years in the playoffs. His 34.6 percent shooting from deep is enough to make sure he is respected outside the arc.

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However, at 6’1″ he is not tall enough to play the off-guard role, so his minutes may be restricted once the Bucks have their full lineup. In saying that, Jennings is a different kind of player compared to Brogdon, Dellavedova and Bledsoe, and this could be invaluable in the playoffs.