Jennings has flourished in the freedom allowed by Bucks coach Scott Skiles’ point-guard-oriented offense. With No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin sidelined so far with the Los Angeles Clippers, Jennings has established himself as the early frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, and not just because he didn’t score a point in the first quarter Saturday against Golden State … and still scored 55.

Flynn, meanwhile, has labored to adapt to Kurt Rambis’ firm guidance and complex system based on the passing triangle offense.

He is one game away from tying Donyell Marshall’s franchise rookie record of scoring in double digits in the first 11 games of his career. He also has had nights like Saturday’s game at Memphis, when he made five of 14 shots, scored 10 points and had twice as many turnovers as assists (6-3).
Whether Hollins can assert himself consistently is the question, but that’s the same question that can be asked of the entire team, which has lost 10 straight heading into Wednesday’s home game against Houston.

“We’re definitely learning as a team, and we’re coming together,” Hollins said. “Alongside the losing, we’re doing a lot of good things that we can build on. Now it’s just a matter of being consistent and not having that dropoff.”

Briefly: Center Al Jefferson is expected to return to Minnesota today after spending the weekend in Florida, grieving the death of his grandmother with family.