The inaugural season of the Wisconsin Herd came to a close last night following a 117-139 loss to the Canton Charge. Bucks two-way player Xavier Munford dropped 31 following his stellar 46-point performance just the other night.
The Bucks’ G-League affiliate finished 21-29 in its first season. Despite not qualifying for the playoffs, it was a season to remember.
Key Takeaways
Hot start
The Herd jumped out to records of 6-1 and 15-8, leading the central division. Losing their leading scorer in James Young likely played a part in their Had they been able to play with a set roster, they could have easily kept that going.
Three players were called up
James Young (76ers), Xavier Munford (Bucks) and Brandon Jennings (Bucks) all spent time with the Herd prior to having their contracts upgraded to the NBA level. Gary Payton II, Joel Bolomboy, Sean Kilpatrick and Marshall Plumlee also had two-way deals with the Bucks and Herd, splitting time with both organizations along the way. Gary Payton II would later ink a two-way deal with the Lakers later in the year, and Joel Bolomboy remained with the Herd on a G-league contract.
Fans showed out
Despite trailing by 25 points in the 3rd quarter of Friday night’s game against the Charge, the sold-out arena was loud all game long. If the Bucks trailed by 25 in a similar situation, you could probably hear a pin drop at the BMO. Herd GM Dave Dean noted they had sold out their last 10 games and the support has been incredible for an inaugural season.
Timing was perfect
This was also the inaugural season of NBA two-way deals, allowing two additional players to be sent back and forth between the NBA and its G-League affiliate without the need to clear roster space. Having an in-state team allows the organization to run much smoother. Key stages to Jabari Parker’s rehab occurred with the Herd, and assigning rookie DJ Wilson to the Herd was very frequent and accessible. In previous seasons, the Bucks had to send players to the Westchester Knicks for a D-League assignment, much further away from Milwaukee than Oshkosh.
I had a great time at the game last night, and look forward to attending many more in the future!
