Wisconsin Herd G-League
G-League executive of the year Steve Brandes reflects on Year 1 with the Wisconsin Herd
The inaugural Wisconsin Herd season has been in the books for a couple of months now, but the successful first-year run of the NBA G-League franchise continues to show.
Milwaukee Bucks squad are ever to reach the heights of championship contention, or the dream of a second title beyond that, a wide variety of different things are going to have to click into place.
Highly impactful G League players like Xavier Munford and Marshall Plumlee, both 26 years old, were replaced for younger prospects who could be more easily developed with a view to landing on the Bucks at some point.
Trevon Duval, 19, and Jaylen Morris, 22, should have a chance to develop in Oshkosh with regular game time, while also having the opportunity to be integrated with the Bucks’ staff and philosophies in practice, using their 45 days of NBA eligibility.
Building a more developmental vibe and focus with the Herd could also be to the benefit of young Bucks like Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson, Sterling Brownand Thon Maker. The proximity between the Bucks and Herd makes for a significant advantage compared to other teams, and it’s one that was under-utilized last year.
New Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer has always looked to make the most of the G League, dating back to his days in San Antonio. With the Spurs, part of Budenholzer’s duties as the lead assistant was to frequently touch base with their then G League head coach, Taylor Jenkins, who of course has spent the last few years working closely to Bud as one of his lead assistants.
Jenkins isn’t the only member of the staff with G League experience either, as Josh Longstaff served as the head coach of Hawks affiliate, the Erie Bayhawks, as recently as last season, while lead assistant Darvin Ham also got his coaching start with a head coaching job in the then D-League.
On the whole, the Bucks are now as well set up as any NBA franchise to manage the increasingly important relationship with their G League franchise, and their recent moves suggest a change of philosophy that could ultimately reap rewards for Milwaukee.
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