Just like their parent club, the Wisconsin Herd have compiled an impressive 10-game win streak. While there are many contributors responsible, it’s Jaylen Adams who has been able to rise during crucial moments.
The Wisconsin Herd have followed in the footsteps of their parent club, the Milwaukee Bucks, to start this 2019-20 G League season.
Wisconsin is currently winners of their last 10 games, all of which have the Herd standing atop of the Eastern Conference in the G League. Only the undefeated Memphis Hustle have a higher winning percentage than the Herd nearly a month into this season.
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Of course, the reasons for why the Herd have been able to thrive and have taken the G League by storm after a year in which they tied with the Northern Arizona Suns for the worst record are plentiful.
From the Herd’s braintrust down to the work of first-year herd coach Chase Buford and the many standout contributors that have developed an incredible chemistry with one another, this current winning stretch has obviously sparked a different level of buzz that hasn’t been felt in Oshkosh since the Herd came into existence a couple of years ago.
And the Herd’s winning streak still stands intact after they faced their stiffest test in the Maine Red Claws, whom the Herd were able to escape past in a 123-118 victory Thursday night. And as he’s done for all of the season to this point, second-year guard Jaylen Adams rose up during the most critical of moments in the win.
With the Herd going back and forth all throughout the fourth frame with the Red Claws, Adams rose up throughout the fourth quarter to knock down 10 of his 22 points for the night, which included hitting two triples and putting down the dagger layup at the cup with 26.1 seconds remaining.
Standing as one of the Herd’s leading and most dynamic scorers at 20.7 points per game on .492/.426/.897 shooting splits, the St. Bonaventure alum has provided an incredible punch to the G League’s fifth-most efficient offense. Through the Herd’s first 11 games, Adams stands at the top of the Herd’s roster in offensive rating at 112.4 points per 100 possessions, per the G League’s stats database.
Break it down further and you can see that Adams only gets better and even more dangerous as contests wear on as he’s averaging 12 points per game over second halves this season on 51.5 percent shooting from the field and 13-of-25 shooting from long range. Along with that, Adams has been leaned on late in games, especially on the occasions when the Herd have been without two-way player Frank Mason III due to injury or being up with the Bucks.
Posting a 26.6 usage percentage over fourth quarters, Adams has often stood as one of the Herd’s leading crunch time closers and he’s totaled 19 clutch points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field, along with three triples and 5-of-5 shooting from the foul line over 13 minutes of play.
All of this should come as no surprise, considering Adams thrived throughout his rookie season in the Atlanta Hawks organization when sent down to the G League. Adams’ scoring has unlocked his offensive game to another level and is complementing the amount of firepower the Herd have assembled up and down the roster.
As Adams continues to work his way on to the radar of NBA teams in search of a call up as the season goes on, the one area of his game he’s still looking to make strides in is as a playmaker, which will be necessary to stick in the league for the long-term.
That isn’t to say that Adams isn’t capable in that department as he’s averaging 6.2 assists per game to this point in the Herd’s season. But with 4.1 turnovers per game, Adams’ 1.51 assist-to-turnover ratio can certainly be an area of improvement for him as the year wears along.
With one of Buford’s main goals being leading the league in call ups, which he proclaimed when he was introduced as head coach way back in August, the way in which the Herd have been able to succeed so far this season will only benefit the players that come through Oshkosh, and the Bucks’ organization as a whole.
If he continues to play at the level that he’s played at one month into the season, there’s no reason to think that Adams can’t be among the crop that’s able to use their play with the Herd as a platform toward a spot in the NBA, whether that’s with the Bucks or elsewhere.