Wisconsin Herd Roundtable: Catching up near the midway point of the season

Herd Two-Way Tracker: Trevon Duval & Jaylen Morris

JT: That last part certainly applies more to Morris than Duval as the Duke product has only been up with the Bucks for one game this season, logging a DNP-CD. Morris has more of those under his belt, but he does hold the belt for highest net rating of any Bucks player (+22.5), albeit in just 29 minutes of action.

So as a result, Morris’ time with the Herd this season has been far more scattered than I admittedly have liked and I say that as someone fond of what he brings to the table. His jump shot is the standout flaw in his game, but his defensive versatility, IQ and ability to strike in the open floor have all stood out as bright spots during his limited time in the G League this season. Whether we’ll see him more with the Herd is the big question and while they have relaxed the strict standards of the 45 days available to two-way players from last season, Morris’ limited number of days available may make his stay with the Bucks a brief one, considering the guarantee deadline for two-way contracts will be coming in around a month from now.

As for Duval, he certainly has fit the bill of what I expected to see from him heading into the year. When at his best, Duval’s athletic gifts and burst to the rim have shined, no matter whether he has a full head of steam or not. And although we’ve seen more of him with the Herd this season compared to Morris, he’s been used primarily off the bench, especially recently since Travis Trice returned back from Team USA duties.

But there is a lot of work to be done for Duval and all of that leads back to his faulty jumper. I’ve been encouraged to see how willing he has been to try and iron out his release, but after a very promising start in a very small sample size, it’s grown incredibly erratic, even when pulling up from mid-range spots. His decision making with the ball has left a bit to be desired as well as his defending, because he certainly has the physical tools to be an effective player as it relates to the latter.

Again, this is a part of the development undertaking the Herd, and the Bucks as a whole, have signed up for obviously. But that doesn’t mean all development paths follow a clear linear line toward success.

TW: To that point, where development is key, I have been slightly surprised that the Bucks are using, or felt the need to activate Jaylen Morris (for 13 games, four played) so frequently thus far, considering their record and standing as a contender in the East, and to the point where he played first quarter minutes, albeit against the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers.

Unlike last year, where the focus of their two-way contracts was clearly to essentially extend the roster for ‘fringe contributors’ like Joel Bolomboy, Gary Payton II, Marshall Plumlee or Xavier Munford, basically only filling the void in case of injuries, the choice to go with Duval (the first undrafted one-and-done in NBA/NCAA history) and Morris (widely believed to be a Budenholzer brain trust pick) shows that stark divergence, shifting to a long-term focus with players that may, somewhere down the line, graduate onto the Bucks roster-proper, as Monte Morris has done extremely successfully with the Denver Nuggets.

Needless to say, I’m very intrigued to see what happens when either of (more likely Morris) their NBA days are exhausted, or the season ends. Obviously, neither have done enough to steal a roster spot this (or potentially next) year, but will the Bucks attempt to double-down on their investment to retain them on a further two-way contract? Is there a longer-term plan, particularly for Duval, given that he is only 20-years-old?

Seemingly, it is hard — and not even worthwhile — to project an answer here, but I would hope that the Bucks look to continue on with at least one of them, and at least get the chance to reap a reward.

Specifically on their play for the Herd, I think you hit on the primary point for both players, their jump shots. Morris has the tools to be a decent defender, and is at a solid 13.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.9 blocks on 54.7 percent from the field, but at 21.7 percent from three, he is not the Andre Roberson type of game-changer where you can live with it. With Duval, you get a few more flashes of brilliance amongst his 12.4 points, 3.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game, especially when he is attacking the rim, and I generally like his passing game, yet again, 25.9 percent behind-the-arc is not getting it done. I’ll electronically pat them on the back for their persistence, attempting over 3.3 threes per game, but this is clearly the obstacle if they want to figure on the Budenholzer-led Bucks. (B/H)awks University has a history of turning-around poor three-point shooting numbers, hopefully we can see some more magic woven here, and who knows.

Looking down the rest of the Herd roster, do you have any thoughts on some of the other notable players, like former G League MVP Vander Blue, Brandon McCoy, Travis Trice or James Young (et al). Are any of them worth a look on a 10-day contract in January, or potentially the second wave of two-way deals, with the Bucks or elsewhere?