Milwaukee Bucks set up to succeed with help from the Wisconsin Herd

With hints of a changing philosophy in place, the Wisconsin Herd may have a larger role in the future success of the Milwaukee Bucks than many realize.

If a young and talented 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.

Discussions on that subject generally center around the more obvious elements of building a winning roster, such as marquee free agent signings, home run trades, and picking out draft sleepers, but the reality is the best NBA franchises’ success runs even deeper than that.

Put simply, to be a truly elite NBA organization in 2018, you must pick up as many marginal gains as you can find. Even the smallest of competitive advantages can multiply in magnitude in the league’s always hotly-contested arms race, and as a result, the smartest and most successful teams’ plans for glory will often extend beyond the basic pieces involved in that pursuit.

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For the Bucks, one such area that could offer such an advantage is the NBA G League. The upcoming season will be just the franchise’s second with the luxury of having their own minor league affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd, and based on their productive first season, there are plenty of lessons to be learned and subsequent decisions that can be put in place already.

Across their first season, the Herd were a surprisingly competitive group under the guidance of head coach Jordan Brady, yet that proved to be a baptism of fire in terms of the challenges provided by the G League.

Having boasted the league’s best record a couple of months into the season, energizing the Fox Valley area to buy into their shiny new team, things then started to unravel quickly for the Herd.

The stellar roster-building from general manager Dave Dean and his team quickly counted for nothing when, along with injuries striking, James Young was signed to a two-way deal by the Philadelphia 76ers, and other standouts such as Xavier Munford, Joel Bolomboy and Marshall Plumlee all ended up spending significant time in the NBA on two-way deals for the Bucks.

Of course, the goal of every team in the G League should be to win, but what the Bucks and Herd brass likely discovered with their first foray into that world was that how you win is really more important than if you win.

Outside of players on assignment from the NBA and those signed to two-way deals, the Bucks don’t hold NBA rights for any player who suits up for the Herd. As a result, 10-day contracts and two-way deals from other organizations can quickly lead to a winning team being pilfered by rivals.

In other words, how those two-way deals are used must be considered closely. If a franchise doesn’t believe a player can contribute meaningfully to their NBA team immediately, or have the upside to do so in the future, they shouldn’t have them on a two-way deal, even if they’re incredibly impactful in the G League.

That thought process may even have played into the Bucks’ decisions when it comes to the moves they’ve made with two-way players in the past week. 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 Brown and 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.

All signs point to that changing this year, as not only have the Bucks likely learned from their own experiences of managing two teams, but they’ve also added considerable expertise into the organization since.

Brady will remain as the team’s head coach, having spent time on the Bucks’ bench in the playoffs and Summer League, but the staff in Milwaukee is now better suited to working with him in understanding the needs and challenges required for the G League.

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.

Speaking to our own Ti Windisch when he was introduced as head coach last August, Brady stressed the importance of the Herd developing as a valuable tool and springboard for Bucks’ success first and foremost:

"“The number one priority is to develop players to help the Milwaukee Bucks be a more competitive and eventually a championship team,” Brady said. “But at the same time, you want to help the players grow in a winning culture. So it’s something you build simultaneously.”"

By all accounts, the organization appears to be better prepared for helping it to serve that function in 2018-19.