Wisconsin Herd fall flat in second half, lose to Erie BayHawks
By Adam McGee
Positive takeaway
Continuing a trend that has been slowly bubbling for the past couple of weeks, Cameron Oliver continued to show signs of developing comfort, confidence and familiarity with the Herd.
Having been widely expected to be selected in last summer’s NBA Draft, Oliver has had to adjust to a different reality to start his pro career. Since being picked up by the Herd, he’s showing real glimpses of making NBA teams regret their decision to pass on him.
Oliver finished Wednesday’s loss with 13 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals in 27 minutes of action, while shooting 5-of-9 from the field and make 3-of-4 at the free throw line.
Beyond the solid numbers, it’s the intelligence and athleticism that Oliver is displaying that really impresses though.
Defensively, the former Nevada man is combining his timing and vision with an explosive leaping ability to rise up and block shots. You could trawl the entire NBA and G League and struggle to find another player who blocks shots quite as emphatically as Oliver.
On the opposite end, Oliver even demonstrated some soft hands and great peripheral vision in dropping off a beautiful no look pass through traffic to a cutting teammate.
It’s inevitable that the Herd will have to deal with NBA call-ups sooner rather than later, but the emergence of a player like Oliver proves just how deep Wisconsin’s talent reserves currently run.