Wisconsin Herd keep rolling with road win over Grand Rapids Drive

Positive takeaway

Next man up is arguably one of professional sports’ most tired and inaccurate clichés, but there’s nowhere where that mentality is more of a necessity than in the G League.

Frequent roster change is just part and parcel of life in the G League, and often the most successful teams over the course of a season can be the ones who handle those challenges best.

Although it’s still early and more permanent disruption to the roster could certainly be on the horizon later in the year, so far the Herd have done an excellent job of allowing all of the challenges that come their way to bounce straight off them.

On this occasion, a host of changes could have been enough to throw the Herd out of rhythm but excellent performances ensured that wasn’t the case.

At the top end of the roster, Xavier Munford and Cliff Alexander stepped up as we’ve come to expect them to. Munford finished with 29 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, on 9-of-15 from the field and 5-of-7 from deep, while Alexander delivered 21 points, eight rebounds, five steals and three blocks on 10-of-15 from the field.

Beyond that, though, the difference was really made by players who haven’t had major opportunities to shine.

Jarvis Summers hit a clutch three-pointer late on to cap off a 14 point, six rebound showing. Kyle Casey added 14 points too, while Cam Oliver chipped in with 11 points and seven rebounds.

The ability to perform every night regardless of the challenges facing them is evidence of a strong bond building between the Herd’s players, and an excellent job being done by head coach Jordan Brady.