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Around the Herd: Brandon Jennings' thrilling first week, Ricky Ledo gets hot, Joel Bolomboy's big-time production, and more


Brandon Jennings' big first week

Brandon Jennings' career with the Herd is off to a flying start. After dazzling the home crowd with a 31-point performance on Wednesday night, the point guard followed it up with a pair of 29-point games in which he showed his scoring and play-making ability is as good as -- if not better than -- it's ever been.

Always fun to watch, the former first-round pick (Bucks, 2009) has electrified crowds with superb ball-handling (including a beautiful behind-the-back dribble, step-back 19-footer combo that had the Air Canada Centre crowd buzzing on Sunday) and has shown a veteran's savvy in drawing contact and getting to the free-throw line.

Even when his shot is not falling, Jennings has been able to consistently earn trips to the line, averaging a Harden-esque 11.0 free-throw attempts per game.



When defenses have keyed on him, Jennings has been able to find his teammates for open shots and has looked in complete control of the offense, despite being with the team for only a couple of weeks. He's been draining threes and has shown he can still blow by defenders and get to the basket.

When Brandon Jennings is on the court with the Herd, every game is must-see TV, and NBA general managers are surely tuning in. As an NBA G League free-agent, Jennings is able to sign with any NBA team at any time, and if one of them needs a point guard, he's the best one available, in my opinion.

Brandon Jennings - Herd stats (3 games)

PPG FG% 3P% FT% REB AST STL
29.7 41.0 39.3 84.8 5.0 6.7 1.3



Ricky Ledo stepping up

Ricky Ledo has been hot since the mid-season break. The 6'7" guard, a former Bucks draft pick (2013, second-round), was aggressive on offense and raining threes, hitting five triples in a game not once, but twice. He had a monster game against the 905, posting 25 points and 15 rebounds.

In three games since the break, Ledo is averaging 22.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in 39.7 minutes per game, while shooting 44.4% from downtown.

Ledo and Brandon Jennings, both former Bucks draft picks (although they were not teammates in the NBA), have played well alongside each other with the Herd, and have packed a potent scoring punch. The duo are averaging a combined 52.0 points per game in three games since the break.



Joel Bolomboy cleaning the glass

Forward Joel Bolomboy continues to produce at a big-time level. Bolomboy, who was named to the Midseason All-NBA G League team in February, posted a full stat line against the Long Island Nets last week, racking up 22 points on 9-of-11 FG shooting (1-of-1 3PT), eight rebounds and three blocks in 34 minutes of action.

The former Weber State standout, drafted by the Utah Jazz in the second-round of the 2016 Draft, has a versatile offensive game and is a relentless rebounder, ranking in the Top 5 in the NBA G League in rebounds per game.


In 21 games for the Herd this season, Bolomboy is averaging 17.0 points and 10.1 rebounds per game and his shooting percentages -- currently 58% from the floor and 83% from the free-throw line -- have been consistently excellent all year.

Bolomboy spent the first half of this season on a Two-Way contract with the Bucks, and spent most of that time in the NBA. He was productive in limited playing time, averaging 1.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per game in six appearances for the Bucks. If he keeps playing like this for the Herd, it won't be long before he is back on an NBA roster.

Herd Roundup


• James Blackmon Jr. stuffed the stat sheet against the Raptors 905 on Sunday, putting up 25 points (3-of-9 from downtown), six rebounds, six assists and two steals, while making 6-of-6 free throws.

Blackmon, a 6'4" guard out of Indiana University, has played well since joining the Herd in late January, showing an ability to both drive to the basket and shoot from three-point range. In nine games (six starts) with the Herd, Blackmon is averaging 15.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per game, while shooting 40% from 3-point range and 94% from the free-throw line.

• Bucks Two-Way player Marshall Plumlee has been a strong interior presence for the Herd, both offensively and defensively. In three games since the mid-season break, the former Duke Blue Devil has averaged a double-double (14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds) on an eyebrow-raising 71.4% from the floor. The 7-footer made 9-of-9 shots en route to 22 points against the Mad Ants last week.

Since signing with the organization in January, Plumlee has spent time with both the Bucks and Herd, and has been productive for both squads. In seven appearances for the Bucks this season, Plumlee is averaging 2.0 points and 2.3 rebounds in 6.4 minutes per game. In seven games for the Herd, he is averaging 12.9 points and 9.4 rebounds in 29.0 minutes per game.

• One of the Herd's leading scorers, forward Cliff Alexander, remains sidelined with an injury. In 28 games with the Herd this season, Alexander is averaging 16.2 points and 6.6 rebounds in 23.3 minutes per game.

• Guard Xavier Munford, who splits time between the Bucks and Herd as a Two-Way player, has spent most of his time lately with the Bucks. While playing time has been scarce for Munford on a deep Milwaukee team, he gives the Bucks another option off the bench at a time when their roster has been hampered by injuries.

Munford did appear in one game for the Herd last week, tallying 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

For the Herd this season, "Professor X" has been a legitimate NBA G League MVP candidate, putting up eye-popping numbers in nearly every statistical category:

Xavier Munford - Herd stats (27 games)

PPG FG% 3P% FT% REB AST STL
22.6 50.2 42.2 73.5 5.0 5.0 1.6


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