Milwaukee Bucks: 15 greatest draft steals in franchise history
89. . Point Guard. 2009. Brandon Jennings. 14. player
In 2008, a young point guard named Brandon Jennings made shockwaves in basketball circles when he decided to forgo a year in college to instead play professionally in Italy for a season until he was eligible for the NBA Draft. In 2009, he was selected 10th overall by the Bucks, a rare American player to enter the NBA without playing in college.
Jennings wasted no time in making his mark on the league, dropping 17 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in his NBA debut. Just a couple of weeks later, in his seventh career game, he put up 55 points against the Golden State Warriors. That production broke a Milwaukee rookie record and came just one point shy of the franchise record.
The Bucks made the playoffs in Jennings’ first season, which was the high-water mark for Jennings’ run with the team. After three more injury-filled seasons the Bucks elected not to bring Jennings back, trading him to the Detroit Pistons for a package that included Khris Middleton.
Having a player who could fill it up was exciting for the Bucks, and Jennings was a part of two teams that made it to the playoffs. He could never elevate a team to the point of contention, but he was a solid player acquired with the 10th overall pick.