Brandon Jennings gained a lot of attention by becoming one of the first American draft prospects to eschew college and play professional basketball in Europe before becoming draft-eligible. After a miserable start, Jennings had some limited success, but he was nowhere near as good as he would be in the NBA the following year. In 16 games with Lottomatica Roma, Jennings averaged 7.6 points and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 45.7% from the field and 26.8% from beyond the arc.
Even though Jennings didn’t adapt to the European game the way he adapted to the NBA game, the Milwaukee Bucks point guard said that he would probably return to Italy in the event of a lockout. Here’s the interview, courtesy of HoopsHype’s Gery Woelfel:Are you saving your money for a potential lockout next season?
BJ: Oh, yeah. Of course. I think if a lockout comes, we can go overseas and play, right? I’ve heard guys say that.
You would actually play overseas next season?
BJ: You got to do something. I love to play the game of basketball, so I don’t want to just sit around. If there’s a lockout, I’d probably go overseas again and play.
And what country would you prefer to play in?
BJ: Italy.
You obviously enjoyed the one season you played with Lottomatica Roma before joining the Bucks.
BJ: I did, and I know the city. I can get back there and go where I usually go. Maybe teams over there will have different expectations of me now. Hopefully, the work I put in over here will get me some minutes overseas.
It should be noted that because Jennings is under contract, he cannot actually play overseas. Players in the NBA under contract cannot go play in other leagues, so only draft picks and free agents could.
