You just beat me to it. I was just about to post the same article. Definitely worth the read and very insightful. He comes across as much more mature than I would have thought. Good video interview attached as well. He certainly move up on my list as a result of the article.
Personally, I never assumed he was immature, only that we have yet to find out. An article like this is what I was waiting for on Jennings, now is the beginning of finding out more about his character and attitude, and how it has developed from his experiences overseas. in other words, the intangibles he learned being overseas, being somewhat independent, and a professional athlete playing against and w/ pro's. He seems to have learned humility and patience, which was a big potential positive of his decision to play in Europe. It may be all him knowing the right things to say now that he's pretty much auditioning for the draft, but I think that still goes to his credit.
One thing that is very very encouraging is that he has a personal coach working on his mechanics. That's huge IMO, because if he sticks with the mechanics that I saw, his scoring ability is never going to reach its full potential. Based on the interview, they're getting the right things corrected. In general, he seems very aware of what he needs to improve on and focusing on it.
His mindset seems to be in the right place based on that article and the interview. I never would have called him a ball hog like some have, but I preferred to refer to him more as wild or overzealous. He never struck me as selfish, but who knows what will happen once he gets back into the American game. He's willing to pass, but sometimes does a lot of extraneous moves. His biggest obstacles are that he needs to learn to be more cerebral in the half-court, just get a better understanding of how to facilitate and lead in the half-court and playing at different tempos. So much of his game is based on reacting instinctually (which is a big reason why he's so good in transition), which isn't bad per se because it shows he has a great feel for the game, but sometimes he needs to understand how things work mentally to make good decisions and be a dependable leader out on the court. Defensively, he still has some ways to go, it's true he's long and quick, but he gets way too aggressive in his reach-ins and makes a lot of mistakes in general on D. His biggest concern there though is his strength, he got taken out way too much with screens both on and off the ball.
One more that I liked about the article, which I don't feel like I called enough attention to in the past, is that he is so incredibly fast with the ball and how much that can disrupt a defense in today's game re: Aaron Brooks. The lanes are going to open up more in the NBA and he's going to be able to use that ability far more than in the Euroleague and Italian league.
Right now he's got the great raw PG abilities in his athleticism, ball handling, creativity, passing, which gives him a very high upside. However, he is still very raw and is a risky pick, which is why I wouldn't move him above Rubio. He still needs to improve his finishing ability, shot selection, and scoring ability overall. It's good that he's working on his shot but whether it'll translate into an advanced mid range and pull up game who knows. Regardless this report by DX makes me a little less nervous about falling out of the top 2, I just hope Petrie is high on Jennings over guys like Hill, Thabeet, and Harden as well.
low: Sebastian Telfair
mid: Nick Van Exel
high: Tim Hardaway (similar in mix of scoring/passing but to lesser degree)
Chad Ford: I just spent the day with him in San Francisco on Monday. All I can say is wow. The physical tools are amazing and the workout he goes through everyday is the most grueling I've ever seen. Griffin looks like he's training to be a Navy SEAL. However, what was really impressive was the basketball part with former Spurs head coach Bob Hill. He's much more skilled offensively than you think. Excellent ball handler and nice stroke with some three point range. And he's a nice, grounded kid with a very cool family. I was super impressed.
