Would it be unfair to think that the peak of the career of Brandon Jennings was achieved in his seventh game? That nothing then in his career (555 matches in the regular season) has managed to match this moment?
An unfair observation, no doubt, but not totally false. The leader had good seasons with the Bucks, then his end of career was tasteless, with too recurrent club changes, a very serious injury and insipid statistics. And among his great years in Milwaukee, there is one date that remains: November 14, 2009.
Brandon Jennings is playing his seventh career game there. His beginnings are very interesting (20.7 points on average over the first six matches, 45% success rate at 3-pts) and he recalls with his qualities and his physique a certain Allen Iverson.
29 points in the third quarter!
For this reception of the Warriors and another future strong scoring rookie, Stephen Curry, Brandon Jennings starts very gently. After the first quarter, he still hasn’t scored a single point… When the break arrives, he only has 10 points on his counter.
It is in the third quarter that the rookie changes dimension. The Milwaukee left-hander scored 29 points at 12/13 in the shoot! Penetrations, 3-point shots, dribbling, everything happens in front of a delirious public with each basket.
“I’ve never seen anything like it”, explains the Bucks wingerHakim Warrick. “He carried the team on his shoulders. As soon as he shot, we knew it was going to come in. He was in total control. »
With this heat stroke, the Warriors are on the ropes. They manage to react in the last act, but cannot resist the 16 points added by Brandon Jennings. 10 points in the second quarter, 29 in the third and 16 in the last: 55 points in total! And a Milwaukee victory (129-125).
“The Warriors went under the screens and, in the first half, I didn’t take advantage of it”underlines the MVP of the evening. “In the second half, I decided to shoot until it went. I put the first two shots and then the basket seemed bigger and bigger. I didn’t miss anything anymore. »
He wipes Kareem Abdul-Jabbar off the shelves
This remarkable performance is obviously historic. Brandon Jennings broke the franchise record for a rookie, which dated from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, author of 51 points in 1969/70. And the point guard fell just two units off the all-time franchise record, Michael Redd’s 57 points in November 2006.
Not since Earl Monroe’s 56 points in February 1968 has a rookie been so prolific in a game. Of course, the record for a rookie still belongs to Wilt Chamberlain, 58 points twice during the 1959/60 season.
“He scored 55 points in three quarters”notes Scott Skiles, coach of the Bucks at the time. “It’s a very impressive performance, for any player. And even more for a rookie who is then playing his seventh game. » Unfortunately, there was never a more impressive performance for Brandon Jennings…
| Brandon Jennings | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2009-10 | MIL | 82 | 33 | 37.1 | 37.4 | 81.7 | 0.6 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 5.7 | 2.3 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 0.2 | 15.5 |
| 2010-11 | MIL | 63 | 34 | 39.0 | 32.3 | 80.9 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 0.3 | 16.2 |
| 2011-12 | MIL | 66 | 35 | 41.8 | 33.2 | 80.8 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 5.5 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 2.2 | 0.3 | 19.1 |
| 2012-13 | MIL | 80 | 36 | 39.9 | 37.5 | 81.9 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 6.5 | 1.9 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 0.1 | 17.5 |
| 2013-14 | TED | 80 | 34 | 37.3 | 33.7 | 75.1 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 7.6 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 0.1 | 15.5 |
| 2014-15 | TED | 41 | 29 | 40.1 | 36.0 | 83.9 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 6.6 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 15.4 |
| 2015-16* | All Teams | 48 | 18 | 36.8 | 32.9 | 73.1 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 0.2 | 6.9 |
| 2015-16* | ENT | 25 | 18 | 36.6 | 34.6 | 75.0 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 7.0 |
| 2015-16* | TED | 23 | 18 | 37.1 | 31.2 | 71.1 | 0.2 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 6.8 |
| 2016-17* | All Teams | 81 | 22 | 35.9 | 31.3 | 75.0 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 4.9 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 7.1 |
| 2016-17* | NYK | 58 | 25 | 38.0 | 34.0 | 75.6 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 5.0 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1.8 | 0.1 | 8.6 |
| 2016-17* | WAS | 23 | 16 | 27.4 | 21.2 | 70.6 | 0.4 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 4.7 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.5 |
| 2017-18 | MIL | 14 | 15 | 37.5 | 27.3 | 100.0 | 0.4 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 5.2 |
| Total | 555 | 30 | 38.7 | 34.5 | 79.6 | 0.6 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 5.7 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 14.1 | |
