Skip to main content

Around the Herd: Xavier Munford excelling, James Young stays hot, Cliff Alexander's strong game, GPII and more


Herd Player of the Week

Xavier Munford

This honor goes to Xavier Munford for the second straight week. Munford continues to dazzle for the Herd, stuffing the stat sheet and delivering highlight-reel plays on a nightly basis.

Munford posted a huge line -- 25 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals -- in the Herd's victory over the Blue last week.

The 6'3" guard, acquired from the Greensboro Swarm via trade before the season, has displayed an uncanny ability to finish around the hoop, and his 3-point shooting has been scorching hot (52.7%) all year.

Munford ranks 6th in the NBA G League in scoring average (24.3 points per game), and is a good bet to see time in the NBA sometime soon. His consistently excellent play for the Herd (and Team USA in the FIBA qualifiers) has shown me he can play at the next level.


Xavier Munford - Herd stats (10 games)

PPG FG% 3P% FT% REB AST STL
24.3 52.8 52.7 73.7 5.2 4.9 2.2




Alexander the Great

Cliff Alex-SLAM-der (as he has been branded by the Herd's Facebook Live broadcasting team) has been a fun player to watch for the Herd. The 6'9" forward has been punishing opponents -- and rims -- all season with his powerful slams.

Alexander, a highly-rated high-school recruit who played his college ball at Kansas, also has guard-like skills to complement his low-post game. Against the Oklahoma Blue last week, we saw him lead the break like a point guard and make a pass for an easy bucket, and, on a separate play, deliver a no-look over-the-shoulder pass to a slashing Xavier Munford that you had to see to believe.

The big man is averaging 19.2 points (65.2% FG), 7.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game for the Herd this season.


Cliff Alexander - Herd stats (9 games)

PPG FG% FT% REB AST STL BLK
19.2 65.2 73.0 7.1 1.2 0.9 0.9




James Young stays hot   


Hot-shooting James Young continues to fill it up from downtown, draining an astonishing 4.0 treys per game at a 42.3% clip for the season.

Young ranks 7th in the NBA G League in scoring average (24.2 points per game) and has displayed a well-rounded game for the Herd this season, making savvy passes on offense and crashing the boards on defense.

The 6'7" former first-round pick out of the University of Kentucky has the size and scoring ability NBA teams covet, and as an affiliate player in the NBA G League, he is free to sign with any NBA team at any time. It won't be long before James Young is draining 3's at the NBA level.


James Young - Herd stats (11 games)

PPG FG% 3P% FT% REB AST STL
24.2 47.1 42.3 76.3 5.9 3.3 1.3





GPII in action for the Bucks


Two-Way player Gary Payton II started for the Bucks against the Jazz on December 9, tallying four points (2-of-5 FG), three rebounds, and two assists in a season-high 23 minutes.

In nine appearances for the Bucks this year (4 starts), the second-year guard out of Oregon State is averaging 1.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in 8.1 minutes per game.

GPII has also played in three games for the Herd this season, averaging 18.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.7 steals per game.

• Payton and fellow Two-Way player Joel Bolomboy are both rapidly approaching 45 days of service in the NBA this season. After that point (the maximum number of days allowed per two-way contracts) the Bucks can either assign the players to the Herd for the remainder of the season or convert the two-way contract into a standard NBA deal, as the Phoenix Suns recently did with guard Mike James.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Christian Wood named Herd Copy's 2018-19 Herd Player of the Year

Photo: Getty Images Christian Wood  has been named Herd Copy 's 2018-19 Wisconsin Herd Player of the Year. The versatile big man dominated the NBA G League, averaging 29.3 points and 14.0 rebounds per game in 28 games on assignment from the Milwaukee Bucks. Wood wreaked havoc on both ends of the court for the Herd, recording 25 double-doubles while topping 40 points twice and 20 rebounds three times (including a franchise-record 23 boards against the Capital City Go-Go on January 19). Playing with high energy and athleticism, the 6-11 forward was simply unstoppable at times, shooting 55.8% from the floor, 75.3% from the free-throw line, and adding 2.1 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. Christian Wood - Herd Stats (28 games) PPG FG% FT% REB AST STL BLK 29.3 55.8 75.3 14.0 2.4 1.0 2.1 Here are some highlights from Wood's monster season: Named to All-Winter Showcase 2018 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Brandon Jennings dazzles in Wisconsin Herd debut

Jennings puts on a show The crowd was buzzing with anticipation before tip-off on Wednesday night and Brandon Jennings did not disappoint. The former Bucks first-round pick scored 31 points on 11-of-21 shooting (5-of-12 from downtown) against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, added eight assists and displayed the scoring and play-making abilities that made him a star in Milwaukee. Jennings was hot from the opening tip. Operating as the team's primary ball-handler for most of the game, the 6'1" point guard scored 12 points and hit three threes (one of them a four-point play) in the first quarter and had 17 points by halftime. Jennings ✌️ TUNE IN: https://t.co/OYuOJHiZiL #HerdUp pic.twitter.com/1kg0PjTAXa — Wisconsin Herd (@WisconsinHerd) February 22, 2018 Despite having only been with the team a short time, Jennings looked comfortable running the offense, and showed that his top-notch ability to put the ball in the basket is as good as it's ever been. He d...
Post a Comment
Read more

Around the Herd: Brandon Jennings set to debut, Herd drawing huge home crowds, Cliff Alexander's impressive efficiency, James Blackmon Jr. heating up

[Photo: Yahoo! Sports ] Brandon Jennings to make Herd debut Former Bucks first-round pick Brandon Jennings is set to make his Wisconsin Herd debut on February 21 against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Jennings, who signed with the NBA G League last week after a stint in China, was  claimed  by the Herd and is set to be in uniform, wearing number 10, on Wednesday in Oshkosh. Jennings averaged 17.0 points and 5.7 assists per game in his Bucks career after being drafted #10 overall in 2009, and was having a productive NBA career before injuries derailed him. But as a Bucks fan who remembers Jennings' explosive scoring and play-making ability from his early career, it would not surprise me to see the 28-year-old point guard get back to that level of production if he's healthy again. NBA teams around the league will be watching his Herd debut, as well, because while he plays for the Bucks minor-league affiliate, Jennings is a NBA G League free agent and able to sign with any ...
Post a Comment
Read more