Wisconsin Herd close out road trip with a win over Reno Bighorns

Concerning takeaway

There hasn’t really been too many similarities between the Herd’s style of play and that of their NBA affiliate through four games, but at the very least, on Saturday the Herd were plagued by problems that will be very familiar to Bucks fans.

Against the combined size and rebounding prowess of Georgios Papagiannis and JaKarr Sampson, the Herd were blown away on the glass by the Bighorns. Papagiannis and Sampson had 13 and nine rebounds respectively, while Jack Cooley also contributed with nine off the bench. That trio counted for 31 of Reno’s 55 boards, while the Herd could only manage 38 of their own.

Unsurprisingly following such an apparent mismatch in terms of strength and size inside, the Herd also sent the Bighorns to the line with incredible frequency. Reno finished up going 26-of-33 from the stripe, as opposed to the Herd’s more modest 14-of-19.

If the Herd want to get away with such differentials long term, they’ll have to limit turnovers much like they did on this occasion. Unfortunately, the early signs suggest little evidence of that as a viable and sustainable strategy. The return of Cliff Alexander should help significantly, as should the presence of Joel Bolomboy whenever the Bucks send him back down to the G League.