St. Francis — Brandon Jennings has kept his turnovers to a minimum, something greatly appreciated by Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles, a former point guard.
Jennings is averaging 2.84 turnovers while dishing out 6.0 assists per game, the best assist total among National Basketball Association rookies.
But Skiles also wants the 6-foot-1 Jennings to keep pushing the pace and attacking Bucks opponents.
"Especially for a rookie point guard, he's not a high turnover player," Skiles said after the Bucks' practice session Monday. "That's going to bode well for him as his career goes on.
"It's good he's risk averse, but we need him to stay aggressive. I want him to be aggressive on everything he's doing, make his decisions on the fly rather than pre-determining, 'I'm going to come off here and pass it back to a big man.'
"I don't think he does too much of that. You'd rather have that happening than a guy that's totally out of control out there that you're just trying to calm him down all the time."
Jennings is finding the right balance as he learns when to take the three-pointer or perimeter shot and when to come off a screen and boldly attack the rim.
"One thing Bogues (Andrew Bogut) told me, even when I do go in there and I miss it, he might get a tip or a rebound," Jennings said. "That's why a lot of times I go in there and I might just flip something up because I know Bogues is coming."
Jennings has been frustrated at not getting more fouls called when he drives to the basket, and at times he will dribble a bit too long on the perimeter while probing the defense.
"It isn't so much constantly going in there," Skiles said. "It's just even taking outlet passes in moments of the game, and are you really blowing the ball up the floor or kind of trotting it up? We see improvement, and he needs to continue to work and get better."
Jennings, who received his second consecutive Eastern Conference rookie of the month honor Monday, will face former University of Wisconsin star Devin Harris as the Bucks visit the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday night.
It's an intriguing matchup of high-scoring point guards and will mark their first meeting on an NBA court. When the Bucks beat the Nets at the Bradley Center in November, Harris was sidelined with a groin injury.
The 6-3 Milwaukee native has played well on the Nets' current home stand, averaging 18.8 points, 7.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds in the first six games.
"He has different ways to score, and you've got to be smart with him," Skiles said. "You've got to pressure him some but at the same time keep him in front of you. We're going to need help from our big guys and know where he is at all times."
Ukic released: Backup point guard Roko Ukic was released Monday, leaving the Bucks' roster at 14 players.
"Roko asked to be released from his contract to pursue other opportunities," Bucks general manager John Hammond said.
The 25-year-old Ukic had played sparingly behind Jennings and veteran Luke Ridnour. Ukic appeared in 13 games and averaged 3.1 points and 7.5 minutes.
He was inactive for nine games and did not play due to the coach's decision in nine others.
Ukic's top performance with the Bucks came when he scored 17 points against his former team, the Toronto Raptors, in a 117-95 Milwaukee victory on Dec. 9.
The Bucks are expected to save about $2 million in releasing Ukic, including $1.45 million in a player option that Ukic held for the 2010-'11 season.
Ukic was acquired along with forward Carlos Delfino in an Aug. 17 trade that sent Amir Johnson and Sonny Weems to Toronto.
The Bucks' roster is one below the league maximum of 15 players, and the team is not expected to fill the open position immediately.
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