Article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Bucks PG Brandon Jennings and his offseason workouts:
"I'm just getting back to the basics of basketball," said Jennings, who worked out regularly at the team's training facility before the NBA lockout was imposed July 1. "Just working on my fundamentals. Getting set back last year with the injury made me have a different approach to the game. It's not (taken for) granted.
"Next year will be my third year and I need to establish myself as one of the best point guards and one of the best players in the game. It's just trying to get better and better every day. Working with Scott Skiles (before the lockout), getting in the weight room, dedicating the summer to strictly basketball. It's going to be my third year, so it's time to become an all-star."
Shortly before the lockout was imposed, Jennings was asked if he had been working harder than he normally would at that time of the year.
"I haven't worked this hard since I was 18," said Jennings who will turn 22 in September.
Skiles praised the work Jennings put in at the team's training facility before the lockout.
"Brandon has always been a hard worker, to a large part because he loves to be in the gym," said Skiles. "He was working out like it was September . . . very serious and very focused."
Since Jennings can no longer work with the coaches, it's now on him to continue with the workout program that was provided by the coaches.
Jennings wasn't kidding when he said he was getting back to the basics both in his pre-lockout workouts - mainly with assistant coach Bill Peterson, who was also impressed with the positive daily work habits Jennings brought to the gym - and on his summer "to-do" list.
The left-handed Jennings has worked on improving his right hand since he came into the league, and that mission continues - dribbling and passing with his right hand as well as taking contact around the basket and finishing with his right hand.
He has also worked on other very basic things such as catching the ball with two hands, his foot work and balance and his hand-eye coordination.
The Bucks would also like Jennings to tighten up his shot and shoot the ball with a more consistent form.
Jennings has a tendency to shoot off-balance sometimes or from different spots on his body. The Bucks want Jennings to improve at getting the ball in his shooting pocket - the starting point of his shot - staying balanced, and releasing the shot from the same spot on his body every time.
"We don't feel like there's anything wrong with his shot or anything he needs to really correct other than just shooting the same shot all the time," said Skiles. "Brandon has a lot of ability and a lot of talent and it just needs to revolve a little bit more around tightening up his fundamentals.
"There's no magic dust to any of this. If you have some level of talent, which he clearly does, and then if you have the work ethic to go with it, usually you get better. He's always been kind of a gym-rat guy and so it's not a whole lot different other than there's a real hungriness to him."
