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The RGV Vipers are off to a fast start to the NBA G League regular season with a 5-1 record, falling for the first time earlier this week to Oklahoma City.
However, the teams they have played during the first six games of the season hold a combined 4-18 record.
That means Friday’s game at home against 5-2 Grand Rapids, the G League affiliate of the Denver Nuggets, will be the first game against a team with a winning percentage of more than .500.
RGV opened the season so far with two wins against G League Ignite (0-8 record), two more against the Memphis Hustle (2-4) and a two-game split with the Oklahoma City Blue (2-6). But, a win is a win when it comes to the standings and a race to grab as high a playoff position as possible.
Plus, based on numbers alone – which, in all honesty – can be deceiving but also provide a big-picture look, the Vipers have been playing some solid basketball. During one game against the Memphis Hustle, RGV score 61 points during the first half – 10 players scored and nobody at that point had reached double figures.
By the end of that game, the Vipers had seven in double-digit scoring.
“We have an awful lot of talent on this team,” head coach Kevin Burleson said. “We try to mix it up and give guys opportunities. Every night is not gonna be the same – where one guy gets 30 and we go off and win. Another night night will be a tough night – it’s gonna be like this sometime.”
The four-time G League champions and affiliates of the Houston Rockets have seven games remaining during January, only one of those teams – the Iowa Wolves – had a sub .500 record. Also on that schedule is Grand Rapids (5-2), the Texas Legends (4-2), the Rip City Remix (3-3) and Sioux Falls (7-0).
“Winning games is my job – obviously there are other levels to that – but the bottom line is winning games and it’s always good to have a good start like this and to keep it going.”
MORE NUMBERS
Traditionally known as a team that just runs opponents into the ground with high powered offense, this season they rank No. 18 out of 31 G League teams in scoring. They are scoring 114.5 points per game. The Birmingham Squadron lead the league in scoring with 124.8 points, while defending champion Delaware is second at 123.3.
However, defense has been key this year for RGV. The Vipers are first in the league per game in rebounds (52.7), steals (13.5), overall defensive rating (100.3) and points per game in the paint (65.). They are also second in blocked shots with 8.0 per game.
Individually, Nate Hinton is averaging 3.0 steals per contest, good for third individually. Cam Whitmore, the Rockets’ 20th pick in the most recent NBA Draft, was averaging 26.2 points per game before being call up to Houston.
No other Vipers player is ranked in the top five in individual stats in the league, which, in this case, is a testament to the talent and balance they have showing during the first seven games.
