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The Milwaukee Bucks have exercised their third-year option on guard Brandon Jennings, General Manager John Hammond announced today.
Jennings started all 82 games for the Bucks in 2009-10, helping them to a 46-36 record (their most wins since a 50-32 mark in 2000-01) and their first playoff appearance since 2006. The 10th overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft finished third among rookies with 15.5 points, 5.7 assists and 1.3 steals to go with 3.4 rebounds. He hit 37.4 percent (145-388) of his three-pointers and sank 81.7 percent (223-273) of his free throws in a rookie season that saw him set franchise rookie records in assists (470) and three-pointers made (145).
In the thrilling seven game playoff series with Atlanta, Jennings averaged 18.7 points, 3.6 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.1 steals. In his playoff debut, Jennings tallied 34 points at Atlanta on April 17, two points shy of the rookie record for points in a playoff debut (36 – Derrick Rose in 2009; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1970).
Last season, Jennings became the first Eastern Conference rookie to win the Rookie of the Month award four times in a season, earning the honor for the months of October/November, December, January and March. Jennings was also named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from November 9 through November 15, a week that included a Bucks rookie record 55 points by Jennings in a win over Golden State.
Jennings’ 55-point performance on November 14 was the highest point total of the 2009-10 season and the most scored by a rookie since Earl Monroe had 56 in 1968. Jennings became the youngest player in NBA history to score 50-plus points in a game and the fastest to do it, accomplishing the feat in his seventh game as a pro.
In his regular season debut on October 30, Jennings tallied 17 points, nine assists and nine rebounds, narrowly missing becoming the second player in NBA history to record a triple-double in his debut (Oscar Robertson, 1960). Though he missed out on the triple-double, he became the first rookie since 1974 (John Drew, Atlanta) to lead his club in points, rebounds and assists in his debut. Jennings also appeared in the NBA Rookie Challenge as well as the Skills Challenge at the 2010 All-Star Weekend.
