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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.


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