I had to see what all the fuss was about.

One man, standing just over six feet tall, has set the NBA ablaze in recent weeks and his name is Brandon Jennings.

So, on a cold December night with snow in the forecast, I traveled to Boston to see just what was so special about Jennings. I'd heard an awful lot about him, with a majority of it negative, and watched him a few times on television, but had never seen him at work in person.

How would he handle the pressure of playing in Boston against the veteran Celtics?

He'd have to chase Rajon Rondo around the court all night while driving into the lane against a first-ballot Hall of Famer in Kevin Garnett. Let's not forget that he'd encounter two more Springfield-bound studs in Ray Allen and Paul Pierce on the perimeter.

Well, more than four minutes into the game Jennings was scoreless. It wasn't that his shot was off, he simply wasn’t taking any. He appeared more comfortable dishing to his teammates than finding his own offense. Isn’t this kid supposed to be a shoot-first point guard?

Through the game's first six minutes he took one shot, a missed fade away from the left side that didn't look good from the nanosecond it left his hands.

This was the kid that dropped 55 on the Warriors, right? Wait. He did light up the scoreboard against Golden State, one of the most porous defensive teams in the NBA. Maybe he was all those things his critics said, a volume scorer with a suspect spot. The only reason he's averaging more than 20 points a night is because he's on an average team without their best scorer (Michael Redd). That has to be it.

Jennings' impact on the game was subtle, but obvious when Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles gave him a breather midway through the first quarter. The Bucks got sloppy, a couple of botched possessions came immediately after Jennings hit the bench, and their defensive communication crumbled as well.

When he returned after a few moments later, he promptly found center Andrew Bogut in the lane for an easy two. Two possessions later he fed Bogut for another easy bucket. He didn't thread the needle with either pass, but OK, I began to see a little something.

He then out-jumped teammate Hakim Warrick, who has a condor-like wingspan, for a defensive rebound and settled in for an isolation play against, of all Celtics, Brian Scalabrine. He went left, then right, then left again and rocketed by Scalabrine for an And-1 layup.

When Jennings returned late in the first after a quick breather the Bucks were trailing 23-18. At the end of the quarter they held a 27-26 advantage.

He was far more assertive in the second quarter, showing impressive speed following a fast break that was created solely by his acceleration. He drove left against Garnett, who was several strides ahead of him at midcourt, and scored his sixth and seventh points of the night by deftly keeping the ball out of KG's Stretch Armstrong-like reach.

With the clock winding down in the first half, Jennings passed up a wide-open three and drove from the right side of the basket for a floater that found the bottom of the net. Again, his quickness was showcased on the play, but his decision to pass on the open triple, which gets most NBA players salivating, proved he's worried about his often-criticized shot.

His three-point stroke entering Tuesday's game was very good, 44.8% on 5.1 attempts per game, but he clearly prefers shots from within 10 feet where he can use his athleticism and elusiveness to create high-percentage opportunities. If he gains more confidence from three-point land he’ll be very tough to guard.

Midway through the third quarter, with Boston leading 64-60, Jennings was far from the star of the game. Bogut, with 20 points and 11 rebounds after an impressive turnaround jumper, had severely outshined the rookie guard.

Jennings' numbers weren't popping off the page, but I don't think it was a coincidence that Boston extended their lead while he took another extended break on the bench. For the game, he had a plus/minus of -1 despite the Bucks’ nine-point loss.

He returned at the 3:23 mark in the third after Luke Ridnour suffered an arm injury. Milwaukee quickly scored on back-to-back possessions while the Celtics missed a shot and turned the ball over. Working very hard to get the ball, Jennings took it from Bogut and glided towards the hoop for another lay in. In just two minutes, the Bucks put together a mini 6-0 run with Jennings on the floor.

What was an eight-point deficit when he entered the game was transformed into a tie after Carlos Delfino hit a runner at the buzzer to end the third period. Call it the Jennings Effect.

A few minutes into the fourth, the so-called Jennings Effect had effectively dissolved until he hit a two-footer to pull the Bucks to within three. Prior to the bucket, his only stamp on the fourth had been a shooting foul and a turnover. He is just a rookie.

Moments later, Jennings hit a runner from the left side and before you could blink, he was rushing the rim from the right side which led to a pair of foul shots. Quietly, the NBA's rising star had 17 points in a very close game at TD Banknorth in Boston. The stage wasn't too big after all.

He attempted what I would characterize as his first ill-advised shot with 4:31 left and the Bucks trailing by two. It was a relatively open jumper from the top of the key, but it was early in the shot clock and Mr. Bogut's hands were red-hot.

On Milwaukee's next possession, Jennings traveled for his fourth turnover of the game. The wheels appeared to be coming for the Young Money-led, young Bucks.

A Ray Allen three-pointer at the two-minute mark effectively finished off Boston's win. Inexperience taking over, Jennings rushed down the court and heaved a three, which he missed. Out of a timeout, Skiles called for Jennings to hoist another bomb, which he converted with as much success as the last.

The NBA's latest it-man finished with 17 points, four assists and three rebounds in Milwaukee's 98-89 loss to Boston. The outcome of the game wasn't surprising, but I did expect Jennings to show a little more than he did.

That’s because after his 55-point performance against Golden State, Jennings was instantly anointed a sure-fire star. Let’s not forget that Jamal Crawford has scored 50 points for three different teams, such an outburst doesn’t necessarily ensure superstardom.

He has his hands full guarding Rondo in Boston. Just look at the box score, Jennings committed five fouls and Rondo went 5-for-7 from the foul line. I think his offense was hampered by all the energy he needed to expend on the defensive end, but he had an impact nonetheless.

Jennings certainly isn’t an Allen Iverson-type that needs the ball in his hands and dozens of shots to put a stamp on a game. If you watch him hoping only to see a scoring explosion, you’ll miss a lot of what he brings to the court. I’m mixing my sports clichés here, but he has a nose for the ball and 20 games into the season he already makes his teammates better.

So before you make any judgments about Brandon Jennings, do yourself a favor. Go watch him live. You’ll see that he’s still very much a rookie, but that his future will be measured in more than 50-point games.

Andrew Perna is Deputy Editor of RealGM.com. Please feel free to contact him with comments or questions via e-mail: Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com. You can also follow Andrew on Twitter: APerna7.