By Chris Terlop
The Miami Hurricanes had a historic season, taking both the ACC regular season and tournament title for the first time in school history. A lot of this success can be attributed to talented and charismatic sophomore guard Shane Larkin.
Larkin worked out for the Bucks and Friday and a source close to the situation passed along an interesting piece of information; the Bucks made a promise to Larkin at pick #15 after the work out.
Larkin’s camp nor the Bucks’ are tipping their hand on this information as Larkin has worked out for the Celtics (16), and the Pacers (23) as well. The New York Knicks, who are in the market for a young guard, will not schedule him for a workout, as they do not believe he will be there at 26.
So what would this report mean for Milwaukee? It means that the Brandon Jennings era as we know it is over when David Stern reads off: “Shane Larkin, guard, University of Miami” on June 27th.
With a coaching change, Jennings may have outworn his welcome coming off a season in which he averaged 17.5 ppg, 6.5 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 39.9% from the field and 37.5% from three. While his numbers are decent, they do not scream max contract, and I firmly believe the Bucks will never be contenders if Jennings is the face of the franchise. He has shown he can score, but not enough to make up for his antics and lack of leadership.
While Larkin will not be the scorer Jennings was, he will be an instant leader. As a sophomore on a team filled with juniors and seniors, he took the reins and guided his team to a two-seed in the NCAA tournament.
This is not saying he isn’t a good offensive player, thought slightly undersized at 5-11. Larkin was a picture of efficiency, averaging 14.5 ppg, 4.6 assists and 2 steals while shooting an astounding 47.9% from the field and 40.6% from three.
Larkin is great in pick-and-roll situations and is a true playmaker with the ball in his hands. He is a very good shooter, has great vision and nice touch in the paint. He lacks elite strength and explosion to finish at the rim consistently, but has a great floater that he utilizes often.
Bottom line, Bucks’ fans should be very excited if Larkin comes to Milwaukee as the 15th pick. The results will not be instant, but it would appear that the future will be bright sooner than later.
You can listen to Chris Monday-Friday 4-6pm and Saturdays at 8 am. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisTerlop
