What is worrying about Jennings are the circumstances that led him to Europe. His people have crafted a narrative in which the young protagonist, rebelling against an unjust American collegiate system, boldly treks across the sea to become a pioneer for exploited teenage ballers everywhere. The truth, however, seems far more murky.
What we know: Jennings takes college placement exams and does poorly; takes the tests a second time and does better, so much better in-fact that he draws suspicion, his test is red flagged, and he is forced to take the test a third time. Before getting results from this last exam, he decides to forgo college altogether and play professionally in Europe. Honestly, Mr. Magoo should be able to read between these lines.
Anyway, if it were the case that Jennings was a kid who for whatever reason was a poor student (Compton certainly not traditionally known for the quality of its schools) and had simply failed to qualify for university, it would be understandable: a potential red-flag, but understandable. If, however, he did indeed cheat on his second tests and fled to Europe to avoid potential reprimand from the NCAA, then I think questions about his character get a bit scary. Marcus Williams, noted laptop thief and friend/idol of Jennings, scary.
Hopefully Petrie does his due diligence and gets to the bottom of the story, and makes the best choice for our star-crossed team.
What we know: Jennings takes college placement exams and does poorly; takes the tests a second time and does better, so much better in-fact that he draws suspicion, his test is red flagged, and he is forced to take the test a third time. Before getting results from this last exam, he decides to forgo college altogether and play professionally in Europe. Honestly, Mr. Magoo should be able to read between these lines.
Anyway, if it were the case that Jennings was a kid who for whatever reason was a poor student (Compton certainly not traditionally known for the quality of its schools) and had simply failed to qualify for university, it would be understandable: a potential red-flag, but understandable. If, however, he did indeed cheat on his second tests and fled to Europe to avoid potential reprimand from the NCAA, then I think questions about his character get a bit scary. Marcus Williams, noted laptop thief and friend/idol of Jennings, scary.
Hopefully Petrie does his due diligence and gets to the bottom of the story, and makes the best choice for our star-crossed team.
We really won't have a great idea about how good jennings is until after the pre-draft camp. he's an interesting prospect with potential, but I wouldn't get to high on him until he competes against the other top pg's in this draft. If after the pre-draft camp he is listed as the #2 pg in this draft, I will feel much better. Its too early to tell.
Because he can't shoot, can't finish around the rim, and isn't a good defender.
I have not seen Petrie draft a guard who can't shoot in the 1st rd, except for Tariq (#11 in 1997), but Tariq can really defend and he's a SG plus he was the BPA in a weak draft so I think he's the exception who proves the rule.
For PGs, GP has a preference for those who can shoot. As soon as GP sees Jennings airballing jumpshots left and right, that'll be the end of Jenning in GP's mind. I'm exaggerating a little bit but not that much. I have seen practice video of Jennings airballing consecutive mid range jumpshots with no one around him.
I know there'll be people who throws out Rondo and Tony Parker. The problem is, Rondo and Parker are great finishers. Jennings is a clear-path finisher; meaning he can't finish unless he has a clear path to the basket. It's no accident he shot under 40% in a league with absolutely no one who can stay in front of him and very few shotblockers to contest him.
I have not seen Petrie draft a guard who can't shoot in the 1st rd, except for Tariq (#11 in 1997), but Tariq can really defend and he's a SG plus he was the BPA in a weak draft so I think he's the exception who proves the rule.
For PGs, GP has a preference for those who can shoot. As soon as GP sees Jennings airballing jumpshots left and right, that'll be the end of Jenning in GP's mind. I'm exaggerating a little bit but not that much. I have seen practice video of Jennings airballing consecutive mid range jumpshots with no one around him.
I know there'll be people who throws out Rondo and Tony Parker. The problem is, Rondo and Parker are great finishers. Jennings is a clear-path finisher; meaning he can't finish unless he has a clear path to the basket. It's no accident he shot under 40% in a league with absolutely no one who can stay in front of him and very few shotblockers to contest him.
Team defense in Europe is usually good. And believe it or not, there are shotblockers over here! Shock horror
As well as that, there is far more contact on the perimeter in Europe. In the NBA it's a foul to breathe on someone. That said, shooting is a weakness for Jennings, but I still like him at 4.
I'm worried about Thabeet. I like his shotblocking and athleticism, but he's rail thin and awfully weak. He's going to get bullied every night by NBA centers and he hasn't shown that he can actually defend. Just block shots.
I'd rather take Jennings or Evans at this point.
Team defense in Europe is usually good. And believe it or not, there are shotblockers over here! Shock horror
As well as that, there is far more contact on the perimeter in Europe. In the NBA it's a foul to breathe on someone. That said, shooting is a weakness for Jennings, but I still like him at 4.
I'm worried about Thabeet. I like his shotblocking and athleticism, but he's rail thin and awfully weak. He's going to get bullied every night by NBA centers and he hasn't shown that he can actually defend. Just block shots.
I'd rather take Jennings or Evans at this point.
As well as that, there is far more contact on the perimeter in Europe. In the NBA it's a foul to breathe on someone. That said, shooting is a weakness for Jennings, but I still like him at 4.
I'm worried about Thabeet. I like his shotblocking and athleticism, but he's rail thin and awfully weak. He's going to get bullied every night by NBA centers and he hasn't shown that he can actually defend. Just block shots.
I'd rather take Jennings or Evans at this point.
Team defense in Europe is usually good. And believe it or not, there are shotblockers over here! Shock horror
As well as that, there is far more contact on the perimeter in Europe. In the NBA it's a foul to breathe on someone. That said, shooting is a weakness for Jennings, but I still like him at 4.
I'm worried about Thabeet. I like his shotblocking and athleticism, but he's rail thin and awfully weak. He's going to get bullied every night by NBA centers and he hasn't shown that he can actually defend. Just block shots.
I'd rather take Jennings or Evans at this point.
As well as that, there is far more contact on the perimeter in Europe. In the NBA it's a foul to breathe on someone. That said, shooting is a weakness for Jennings, but I still like him at 4.
I'm worried about Thabeet. I like his shotblocking and athleticism, but he's rail thin and awfully weak. He's going to get bullied every night by NBA centers and he hasn't shown that he can actually defend. Just block shots.
I'd rather take Jennings or Evans at this point.
Contact on the perimeter is not Jennings' problem. He's so quick he often blows by the defender before the later even has a chance to initiate contact. But he can't finish at the basket. All it takes for him to blow a layup is a guy standing under the basket with arms stretched.
If you are going to go with a raw project at #4 (and I'm not saying I would), go with a big man; not a 6'2 PG.
I don't like Thabeet either but at the end of the day, he'll help us win more games than Jennings.
I think that is a fair evaluation of Jennings only if you judge him on his high school career. His time in Europe has really shed some light on him as a person. He genuinely seems to have matured a good deal thanks to his experience over there.
He and his agent made a mistake with the team that they chose. He went to a good team that is competing well in a solid league, but he needed to go to a smaller team that would give him more playing time and allow him to work through his bad games and inexperience. His coach was fired very early into his term with his team as well.
He could have quit on his team or gone complaining loudly to the press, but he stuck around and kept his mouth shut for the most part. He dealt with it pretty well for an 18 year-old kid I would say. He has taken that time to work on his game in practices and extra sessions with the assistant coaches.
He is still a risky pick for a lot of reasons, including his shot selection. There is always the chance he could regress when he comes back to the states, but I really think his time in Europe has helped minimize a lot of the character questions that surrounded him coming out of High School.
He and his agent made a mistake with the team that they chose. He went to a good team that is competing well in a solid league, but he needed to go to a smaller team that would give him more playing time and allow him to work through his bad games and inexperience. His coach was fired very early into his term with his team as well.
He could have quit on his team or gone complaining loudly to the press, but he stuck around and kept his mouth shut for the most part. He dealt with it pretty well for an 18 year-old kid I would say. He has taken that time to work on his game in practices and extra sessions with the assistant coaches.
He is still a risky pick for a lot of reasons, including his shot selection. There is always the chance he could regress when he comes back to the states, but I really think his time in Europe has helped minimize a lot of the character questions that surrounded him coming out of High School.
Here is the thing.
Jennings arguably has the highest ceiling in the draft but he is arguably the greatest risk, especially early in the draft at pick 4.
Everything we know about Petrie is that he doesn't gamble. He always goes for the safest pick. His most risky pick was Jason Williams. He doesn't gamble especially with early picks. He will go for a proven player. Someone who has the runs on the board. So you won't see him swinging for a home run and picking Jennings. He will go for a safe pick. Someone like Jonny Flynn. Someone with not much upside but who can be a solid contributor straight away.
The only hope we have of getting Jennings is if he absolutly lights it up in the workout and dazzles everyone there. Otherwise expect a boring, steady contributor.
Jennings arguably has the highest ceiling in the draft but he is arguably the greatest risk, especially early in the draft at pick 4.
Everything we know about Petrie is that he doesn't gamble. He always goes for the safest pick. His most risky pick was Jason Williams. He doesn't gamble especially with early picks. He will go for a proven player. Someone who has the runs on the board. So you won't see him swinging for a home run and picking Jennings. He will go for a safe pick. Someone like Jonny Flynn. Someone with not much upside but who can be a solid contributor straight away.
The only hope we have of getting Jennings is if he absolutly lights it up in the workout and dazzles everyone there. Otherwise expect a boring, steady contributor.
I really believe this might be a blessing in disguise. I've been pretty high on Jennings, the kid has a lot of potential and has a lot of obvious character flaws coming out of highschool, but I really believe he can mature.
Here are some recent interviews of him from draftexpress:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIEwQvw-wwg
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZjqkhGE37M
He has been fixing his shooting mechanics, working on being a better passer instead of shooting first, etc. He sounds like he has been putting a lot of work in and could be a steal for us...
(Edit: He even donated $50,000 to an earthquake relief fund. That might be bad money management as a young player who barely has a paycheck, but it seems like a sign of good character...)
Here are some recent interviews of him from draftexpress:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIEwQvw-wwg
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZjqkhGE37M
He has been fixing his shooting mechanics, working on being a better passer instead of shooting first, etc. He sounds like he has been putting a lot of work in and could be a steal for us...
(Edit: He even donated $50,000 to an earthquake relief fund. That might be bad money management as a young player who barely has a paycheck, but it seems like a sign of good character...)
Team defense in Europe is usually good. And believe it or not, there are shotblockers over here! Shock horror
As well as that, there is far more contact on the perimeter in Europe. In the NBA it's a foul to breathe on someone. That said, shooting is a weakness for Jennings, but I still like him at 4.
As well as that, there is far more contact on the perimeter in Europe. In the NBA it's a foul to breathe on someone. That said, shooting is a weakness for Jennings, but I still like him at 4.
What leads you to say that? We don't exactly have much of a track record to judge him on when it comes to lottery picks this high. 7th is the highest he has been, and in that case he wasn't afraid to go after a guy with significantly more character questions in J-Will.
He has a track record of blowing away people's expectations of who he is going to draft. A lot of that is going after guys overlooked somewhat by scouts due to coming out of a small school or Euro's. A lot of those picks weren't considered "safe" at all, even if it is easier to take chances later in the draft.
None of us really know what is going on in Petrie's head right now, so I wouldn't get too ahead of myself saying he won't draft one guy or another.
He has a track record of blowing away people's expectations of who he is going to draft. A lot of that is going after guys overlooked somewhat by scouts due to coming out of a small school or Euro's. A lot of those picks weren't considered "safe" at all, even if it is easier to take chances later in the draft.
None of us really know what is going on in Petrie's head right now, so I wouldn't get too ahead of myself saying he won't draft one guy or another.
I'm on the Jennings Bandwagon if we cant get Sessions.
This guy has alot to prove, and I think his transition from the Euro league to the NBA will be better then expected, hes used to playing against hand checking and tough physical defense, and in todays NBA game you get ticky tack fouls for barely touching a guy.so I can see him benefiting in that aspect by drwing alot of fouls with his quickness kind of like martin does. He also has a chance to be great at multiple things, Passing, Dribbling, Slashing, Attacking the Rim (hes a sick dunker), Defense, and shooting if he can get it down. Plus hes Left handed.
I say we go for the home run hit and take Jennings.
Hes the underdog right now and the underdog has nothing to loose and everything to gain.
This guy has alot to prove, and I think his transition from the Euro league to the NBA will be better then expected, hes used to playing against hand checking and tough physical defense, and in todays NBA game you get ticky tack fouls for barely touching a guy.so I can see him benefiting in that aspect by drwing alot of fouls with his quickness kind of like martin does. He also has a chance to be great at multiple things, Passing, Dribbling, Slashing, Attacking the Rim (hes a sick dunker), Defense, and shooting if he can get it down. Plus hes Left handed.
I say we go for the home run hit and take Jennings.
Hes the underdog right now and the underdog has nothing to loose and everything to gain.
I don't know a whole lot about Jennings, but as disappointed I am about dropping to the 4th pick, I don't see anybody better to take with that pick. He's an electrifying player who could potentially excite the fan base, but at the same time he's learning what its like to be a true point guard who has to distribute the ball. He's working hard on improving his shot and his defense has improved, not to mention his maturity level. I think being in Europe has taught him a lot and I don't think he will take his NBA experience for granted. He knows he has a lot to prove and I wouldn't mind seeing him in a Kings uniform next year.
I disagree.
Just focusing on the guys selected relatively high in Petrie's tenure. (To my knowledge he started in 94)
94 (8th) Brian Grant - This is not a safe pick, just a good one. Athletic, tough PF on a team that needed one desperately. No-brainer.
95 (13th) Corliss Williamson - This was a pretty safe pick, but also a good one. I don't remember the draft reports, but looking at who he passed on I don't see any risky/upside guys.
96 (14th) Peja - This was a pretty freakin risky pick at the time. 19 year old shooter in Greece?
97 (11th) Tariq Abdul Wahad - Total swing for the fences on athleticism pick.
98 (7th) Jason Williams - Completely risky pick. Extremely talented player with charcter issues. I wish he'd taken the "safe" guy Paul Pierce.
00 (16th) Hedo - Pretty risky pick IMO. Mostly because there were safe college performers available right after in Desmond Mason, Mo-Pete, and Jamaal Magloire. Good pick either way.
07 (10) Hawes - I'd argue that a 7 footer coming off a disapointing Frosh year is risky.
08 (12) Thompson - 4 year productive senior, but considered risky because of small school. Good pick either way.
He definitely likes skilled players, but I don't think risk is one of his what factors. He takes whoever he thinks will be the best player. Its certainly possible that Jennings unpolished blend of speed, ballhandling and passing will light up his eye.
Just focusing on the guys selected relatively high in Petrie's tenure. (To my knowledge he started in 94)
94 (8th) Brian Grant - This is not a safe pick, just a good one. Athletic, tough PF on a team that needed one desperately. No-brainer.
95 (13th) Corliss Williamson - This was a pretty safe pick, but also a good one. I don't remember the draft reports, but looking at who he passed on I don't see any risky/upside guys.
96 (14th) Peja - This was a pretty freakin risky pick at the time. 19 year old shooter in Greece?
97 (11th) Tariq Abdul Wahad - Total swing for the fences on athleticism pick.
98 (7th) Jason Williams - Completely risky pick. Extremely talented player with charcter issues. I wish he'd taken the "safe" guy Paul Pierce.
00 (16th) Hedo - Pretty risky pick IMO. Mostly because there were safe college performers available right after in Desmond Mason, Mo-Pete, and Jamaal Magloire. Good pick either way.
07 (10) Hawes - I'd argue that a 7 footer coming off a disapointing Frosh year is risky.
08 (12) Thompson - 4 year productive senior, but considered risky because of small school. Good pick either way.
He definitely likes skilled players, but I don't think risk is one of his what factors. He takes whoever he thinks will be the best player. Its certainly possible that Jennings unpolished blend of speed, ballhandling and passing will light up his eye.
That was more what I was thinking. Well, except the part about having an equall bad head coach in front of them. But an assistant gig, or a consultant, or just something. I don't think Jennings knows how to make decisions and run a team right now, I don't think he's going to learn it from Beno, and even if Bobby came back, which is far from a given, he never really saw the game as a pure PG anyway, and would probably just end up trashing the kid's car. Porter and Cheeks were both smart, cerebral championship level PGs -- if I had a young ball of undirected talent those are the sorts of guys I would want there as potential mentors.
There is also the Avery possibility (a championship PG himself), although the fact we have interviewed guys like Jordan and Westphal and are ow heading into the assistant ranks and have not brought him in for a talk tells me that one side or the other probably isn't interested. Shaw might fit that mold too, although he wasn't a great point so much as just clutch roleplayer.
There is also the Avery possibility (a championship PG himself), although the fact we have interviewed guys like Jordan and Westphal and are ow heading into the assistant ranks and have not brought him in for a talk tells me that one side or the other probably isn't interested. Shaw might fit that mold too, although he wasn't a great point so much as just clutch roleplayer.