Bucks G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd may have come up short in bringing home the top prize, but they closed out their showing at this year’s G League Showcase in Las Vegas in style over the weekend.
This weekend marked a huge weekend for the Wisconsin Herd and all of the G League with this year’s G League Showcase taking place in Las Vegas.
The Herd came into Vegas standing as one of the four teams vying for the $100,000 jackpot that was awarded to the winner of the championship bracket they slotted in along with the Grand Rapids Drive, the Memphis Hustle and the Salt Lake City Stars.
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With most of those clubs standing as the cream of the crop of the G League this year, the wrinkle of the cash prize raised the competition level we see from the league’s marquee event, along with the ability to put together a strong impression for NBA scouts and front office personnel in the chance of earning a call-up to the big leagues.
It was the streaking Stars, winners of what was their last 10 games at that point, that stood in the way of the Herd reaching the championship game when both teams faced off against each other Friday night.
Salt Lake City’s first-ranked defense made life difficult for the Herd’s offense for extended stretches, thanks to their ability to generate turnovers and slow down the Herd from getting into the paint, thanks to the size and athleticism of Stars frontcourt defenders.
It certainly didn’t help that some of the Herd’s leading contributors, such as two-way players Frank Mason III and Cam Reynolds, had uncharacteristic shooting nights as Mason finished with 17 points on 19 shots and Reynolds had 17 points on 15 shots, respectively. While that was the case, Rayjon Tucker stole the show and extended his 30-point game streak to four games where he posted 34 points on 19 shots (3-for-8 from three, 8-for-8 from the foul line).
Eventually, the Herd’s resiliency brought on an incredible fourth quarter comeback where, after being down by 15 entering the period, they clawed their back into the game, which helped them knot things up at 111 to force overtime and keep their chances of winning $100,000 alive.
However, Wisconsin’s comeback push completely ran out of steam in the 2-minute overtime period, though, as untimely turnovers put their pursuit to bed and led to the Stars advancing to the championship game Sunday night, where they eventually defeated the Grand Rapids Drive in a 91-88 victory.
There was still plenty to be played for Sunday night when the Herd took on the Hustle to close out their respective visits in Vegas. The Herd were left shorthanded with Mason getting time up with the Bucks, Tucker not dressing for unknown reasons (as of this writing) and the previous injury to forward Luke Maye.
A hot start from the Hustle forced the Herd to have to play catch up early on and it was Reynolds who helped the cause with his strong shooting start from 3-point range as he finished with 23 points on 5-of-11 shooting from deep. Eventually, the Herd had plenty of help from their depth contributors between Shannon Bogues (25 points on 12 shots, four assists) and D.J. Hogg (24 points on 14 shots, eight rebounds, five triples, three steals and two blocks) enjoying career scoring nights by the game’s end.
Once again, the comeback kids were back at it again as the Herd wrote another strong second half comeback to battle back and keep within distance of the Hustle.
And this time, the Herd’s heroics prevailed in the fourth quarter where they collectively raced past the struggling Hustle to outscore them 35-16 in the final frame and craft a 125 -113 victory to close their own showcase.
The Herd’s comeback victory over the Hustle now leaves them with a 14-3 record, which helps them stand atop of the Eastern Conference. And from what we’ve seen of this Herd team led by first-year head coach Chase Buford, there’s no shortage of contributors and lack of fight among this group of players, which has them on the fast track to reaching the playoffs for the first time in their three-year existence.
That is if they’re able to maintain their current form and more importantly, keep the foundation of players that have been integral to the team’s success this season.
That’s an incredibly relevant question in light of Tucker’s absence Sunday night and given how well he’s played recently and up to this point in the season, he’s undoubtedly worthy of a call-up to the NBA, whether that ends up being in Milwaukee or elsewhere. And he certainly gave all NBA personnel a show that showcased his incredibly magnetic, hyperactive game in the Herd’s loss to the Stars.
The Herd may have lost in terms of taking home the grand prize, but their response in the face of that continues to show they’re on the right track toward success. It may not be the only time that they vie for a championship this season, if all breaks right for them.