5 Thoughts on the 5-0 Wisconsin Herd
The Wisconsin Herd are off to a fantastic start this G League season
The Wisconsin Herd have surely made up for lost time judging by the start of their G League season.
Two weeks into their 2021-22 season, the Herd are 5-0 after coming off a weekend in which they came back from being down double-digits against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants to only then mount successful second half comebacks and maintain their perfect start.
We’re already learning so much about the Milwaukee Bucks’ G League affiliate so far and unsurprisingly, I have some thoughts on what we’ve seen so far. Now let’s dig in.
The Herd have strength in numbers
The Herd set the bar high with their 2019-20 season for a variety of reasons.
It’s certainly early, but there are some strong similarities one could draw from both teams, with the biggest being the collection of talented players the Herd’s front office has assembled so far.
At this juncture, the Herd have seven players averaging double figures and are led by Herd veteran Rayjon Tucker in that department.
Having a duo of strong bucket getters between Tucker and Tremont Waters, as well as two-player Justin Robinson, on the perimeter, and skilled forwards such as two-player Sandro Mamukelashvili and Wenyen Gabriel, the Herd boast a strong complementary attack inside and out.
There are more players that can be highlighted among that mix and just as we saw under former head coach Chase Buford, Herd head coach Chaisson Allen has his squad dialed up here to start the year.
The Herd are showing plenty of resiliency
No question about it, Wisconsin has had a flair for the dramatic.
Completing double-digit second half comebacks in their back-to-back wins over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants over the weekend certainly speaks to that. But so does their season-opening win that was capped off by Tucker’s game-winning shot over the Cleveland Charge two weeks ago and ekeing out big wins over the Motor City Cruise, who were led by strong performances from Pistons two-way player Saben Lee.
Manufacturing ways to win as the Herd have done so far have been very impressive and it’s catapulting them to the top of the Showcase Cup standings, which will take place next month in Las Vegas. Perhaps they can contend for the Showcase Cup championship after failing short on that end two seasons ago.
Enter Sandman
This past weekend saw Bucks rookie Sandro Mamukelsahvili, who, along with fellow rookie Georgios Kalaitzakis, finally made their Herd debuts in those aforementioned wins over Fort Wayne.
Finally getting the playing time he’s surely needed, Mamukelashvili displayed his promise and potential that led to the Bucks selecting him with the 54th overall pick in this year’s draft.
It didn’t come without some kinks as Mamu spent a large portion of the first clash with the Mad Ants trying to find his place within the Herd’s lineups and rotation. The same can be applied to his defensive deficiencies as Mamu’s lack of foot speed and inability to get into a defensive stance has led to some struggles when defending out in space.
However, Mamukelashvili has been remarkable in his ability to create off the dribble, hit shots when operating in the post and his general nose for the ball, all of which has made quite the impact in his assignment to Oshkosh thus far. He even had some impressive rejections at the rim, some of which have come on scrambling defensive possessions.
Now, with a couple of double-doubles under his belt, we’ll just have to see whether Mamukelashvili can continue to blossom and get the reps he needs to grow his game further.
Checking in on Georgios
It should come as no surprise that it was a tougher read for the other Bucks rookie, Kalaitzakis, who slotted into the Herd’s starting lineup over the weekend.
The Greek wing scored 15 and 12 points in his two games with the Herd so far, respectively, despite struggling to create offense for himself and going 2-for-8 from beyond the arc. Kalaitzakis’ handling ability has been a sore spot as he struggled to create space against opposing defenders when bringing up the ball and had five turnovers across both tilts.
Kalaitzakis has clear areas of improvement that he’ll surely look to refine with the Herd, but he’s been at his best in the open floor and semi-transition. His size and length helps him bully past defenders when driving to the cup and he’s very adept at drawing contact by going 5-for-7 from the free throw line (Remember: only one free throw shot per foul in the G League, save for the last two minutes of games).
Those same traits help him defensively as Kalaitzakis can deter oncoming drivers from finishing at the rim and he logged a couple of blocks across both Mad Ants games.
The G League setting will be natural for Kalaitzakis to expand upon his game after seeing scattered time over his time at Panathinaikos as well as on loan in Lithuania over the last few years. We’ll just have to see what’s in store for the 22-year-old.
Keep an eye on Jalen Lecque
Last but not least, the development of third-year guard Jalen Lecque hasn’t just been steady for the Herd. He’s legitimately shown considerable strides that has lied beneath the surface in the face of the Herd’s hot start.
Averaging 12.6 points on .578/.409/.500 shooting splits, along with 1.6 assists through five games, Lecque’s elite athleticism and explosion has been there for all to see in Oshkosh. Just look at the body control and exceptional finish here from the 21-year-old that just comes so natural to him.
Add in the rim-rocking dunks that Lecque regularly throws down whenever he gets a head of steam and it all just further bolsters the strong attacking ability the Herd have beyond the likes of Waters, Tucker and Lindell Wigginton within their backcourt.
The Herd have done their best to optimize Lecque while fitting within their foundation. His 67.4 true shooting percentage is second-best on the team behind Javin DeLaurier and the Herd are outscoring their opponents by 15.6 points per 100 possessions over the 117 minutes Lecque’s been on the court, per RealGM. That latter stat is the top for all Herd players through the first two weeks.
By bringing him off the bench, the Herd have made the best use of Lecque’s development so far that has made him a difference maker through the first five games. Again, it’s hard for a player to do all of that at Lecque’s age and do so on a winning team, no matter what level of play.
Should the Herd lose anyone to any call ups as the year goes on, a bigger role certainly suits Lecque as he’s building a strong foundation to build on while in Oshkosh.