Hello: Joey Baker
Joey Baker from Duke is heading to Michigan
BREAKING: Former #Duke wing Joey Baker will transfer to #Michigan for next season.
— Jason Jordan (@JasonJordanSI) June 17, 2022
1 year of eligibility as a grad transfer.
Why Mich?
- Felt it provided the best opportunity to make an impact on a championship caliber team.
- Felt Coach Howard could maximize his total game.
Did we just find Adrien Nunez's replacement?
Joey Baker now you are 13 years old
You're a Wolverine and as good as gold
Will provide some good leadership and a shooting spark off the bench. Will be invaluable come March.
Welcome, Joey!
He might be an incredible leader, he may not. We have no idea he Isa leader unless you consider oldness and Dukeness leadership qualities.
He was a team captain. No further explanation needed.
And what on earth would a team captain know about leadership??
What a horrible take. Was captain of a Final Four team you need glue guys like this on a team, unless you want to be Kentucky and have all the talent in the world then lose to St. Peters.
Will always root for Dukey's opponent, but this a solid, much needed pickup.
Taking him away from Duke was half the sweetness for me. It would have been even more, but we really need the shooting that he brings.
Well this is interesting. I wrote him off, nice pull by the coaching staff. Guessing that shuts the door on Bates?
They still have 1 scholarship available
Almost zero chance it's spent on another wing given that PG and PF/C represent far greater needs.
MIchigan already signed transfer combo guard, Jaelin Llewellyn from Princeton.
Princeton, Duke; our boys will be ballin' on the court and in the classroom!
And in the weight room. And in the community.
Yes, and they lost three guards from last years team: Collins, Jones and Brooks.
They're incredibly thin at the two guard spots with just Llewellyn, Bufkin (who barely played as a freshmen) and Dug who will be a true freshman.
Since Llewellyn and probably Baker in a pinch could play off ball guard, there's a need for an experienced PG (although for all the same reasons, I would argue there's a bigger need for another big). There is little need for another wing at this point.
Bate can play the 1-4 position on offense and defense the 2-4 on defense depending on the 2 guard.
If playing them poorly is playing them, sure. Bates would be a terrible pickup, even worse now that we've added another wing.
So you’re saying…. there’s a… chance?
I wouldn’t think so…assuming the staff would want Bates. Baker is basically filling the shooting role Houstan left behind(at least at home, lol). There really aren’t any shooting guard options at this point so a 3/4 type would be what is needed and Bates would bring that.
***not advocating for or against Bates***
We should try to get Brandon Johns back. I've always thought he just had a confidence problem, constantly fighting to get/stay on the court. But now he would probably start at the four. And tha could be huge. He is incredibly athletic amd physical. He just needs the right opportunity where he's not constantly looking over his shoulder.
I wish John's nothing but the best but he was given every opportunity to take the 4 spot last year and did not get the job done.
He is already practicing with VCU. Pretty sure he isn't coming back
I just saw him walking along Yost on Thursday morning. I was surprised, because I thought he was gone already too.
Is he really that athletic though? How many times over the past 4 years did he fail to finish at the rim and had his shot blocked by his opponent or the rim itself.
Brandon Johns is a known quantity at this point. Seems like a nice guy and wish him the best.
Getting a houstan level season out of this guy would be absolute best case scenario
That is not even remotely realistic. This guy is 22-23?
I think you're gonna be pleasantly surprised. As team captain they went quite far in the tourney.
Joey Baker played a total of 5 minutes in the NCAA tournament. But I'm sure he was great at clapping his hands for his teammates.
I just meant from a pure shooting perspective. Their defense might be similar. We lost all of our starting five except for HD, so the minutes are there for several to take. The biggest thing with this kid will be how he bounces back from the hip surgery. I think Dickinson’s passing from the post may really benefit this kid. If Llewellyn can break down the defense it’ll help a lot too.
HD's pure presence in the post creates a ton of open looks from long range. Your take is spot on Jordo.
Yeah, Houstan was limited athletically but Baker is likely to be even worse given the fact he's going to be coming off a left hip injury and is already not a particularly good defender.
Offensively we'll see; Houstan had higher upside but Baker's one thing seems to be that he can shoot the ball from outside. Neither were particularly efficient scorers.
Michigan has limited options when it comes to wings and Baker at least performed decently in a P5 conference on a good team; the floor there is "okay bench wing" and UM can absolutely use that.
Eh, he was much better (at least on offense) than Houstan was last year. And his sophomore year. Had an oddly bad year his junior year. Wonder if he was hurt.
He won't play as many minutes but he could easily be more efficient than Houstan was last year.
I really like this pickup as a guy that can rotate with Bufkin and Jett and provide a decent floor at the 2 or 3 should one of those guys not be startable.
The guy who averaged 4 points a game was much better offensively? Why are people so broken on houstan? He was a pretty good player last year.
Yes, his eFG% was 56 compared to Houstan's 49. That is a huge difference. Baker's Ortg was 111 compared to Houstan's 103. Hence, like I said, far more efficient.
The fact Baker only played 10 min a game and hence only averaged 4 ppg (a better per minute average than Houstan, btw) was a function of being on a stacked team that had the number 1 offense in the country and went to the final four. So there were better options.
Congrats to Houstan for being a starter by default on a much worse team. People are "broken" on Houstan because he was in every way not that good last year. He might be good in the future. He was young. But he wasn't efficient despite low usage. It won't be hard at all to replace what he did last year.
Freshman caveats apply, but Houstan didn’t have a very good season last year. It won’t take a whole lot to match his production.
My opinion Bates and Baker are two different skill set players and can co-exist. I just don't think it necessarily shuts the door. Baker is a nice-get and fill one hole. One down, one to go.
They could certainly co-exist if they were the only wings. But you also have Twill, Jett, Jace and Barnes competing for similar roles. Michigan is pretty set on the wing.
Top priority, IMO is an experienced, preferably good defensive big. Probably an impossible ask but that's need #1. Need #2 is an experienced backup PG.
The entire roster could quit basketball tomorrow and the door would still be shut on bates
From his Duke bio page:
TL:DR version: should stand at 3pt line and do nothing but jack threes, and that's fine
6-6, 206 lbs., Senior, Fayetteville N.C., Trinity Christian H.S.
2021-22
- Voted a team captain alongside junior Wendell Moore Jr.
- Played in 34 games, averaging 4.5 points on .432 from the field and .405 from three-point range
- Went 3-of-7 from the field with two three-pointers for eight points against Army (11/12)
- Came off the bench and hit 3-of-5 three-pointers for 11 points while setting career highs in minutes (32) and rebounds (5) versus Campbell (11/13)
- Finished 4-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free throw line for 12 points and two assists against Gardner-Webb (11/16)
- Went 7-of-7 from the free throw line in a nine-point, four-rebound effort versus The Citadel (11/22)
- Hit 2-of-3 three-pointers versus No. 1 Gonzaga (11/26)
- Scored 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting and 3-of-4 three-pointers with five rebounds and two steals against SC State (12/14)
- Went 2-of-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line for eight points versus App State (12/16)
- Hit 3-of-6 three-pointers for 11 points in 17 minutes against Syracuse (1/22)
- Had another 11-point outing versus Clemson (1/25), shooting 4-of-5 from the floor and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc
- Came off the bench and knocked down 4-of-5 three-pointers for 12 points and three rebounds in win over Florida State (2/19)
2020-21
- Appeared in 23 of the Blue Devils' 24 games with one start
- Averaged 2.9 points and 1.2 rebounds for the season
- Shot 22-of-71 (.310) from the field, including 16-of-51 (.314) from three-point range
- In ACC play, averaged 2.9 points, while shooting .320 from the field and .351 from behind the arc
- Pulled down a career-high four rebounds in the season-opening win over Coppin State (11/28)
- Went 2-of-5 from three-point range for six points against Clemson (1/30)
- Hit 3-of-7 three-pointers in an 11-point effort versus North Carolina (2/6)
- Poured in a season-high 12 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting in the win at Wake Forest (2/17)
- Shot 2-of-5 from beyond the arc and finished with eight points and two assists in the ACC Tournament win over Boston College (3/9)
- Logged a season-high 22 minutes in the BC victory
2019-20
- Played in 28 games with three starts, averaging 5.0 points and shooting .394 (28-of-71) from three-point range
- Made 11 of his 12 free throw attempts for the season
- Shot 6-of-7 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range for a career-high 16 points against Winthrop (11/29)
- Went for 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting in 17 minutes of action at No. 11 Michigan State (12/3)
- Netted a career-high 22 points and five three-pointers in 18 minutes against Wofford (12/19)
- Made his first career start versus Brown (12/28)
- Made 3-of-5 three-pointers against Wake Forest (1/11), finishing with 11 points
- Went 3-of-5 from three-point range for nine points against Miami (1/21)
- Tied career highs in assists (three) and rebounds (three) in the win at North Carolina (2/8)
- Scored eight points on 3-of-4 shooting against Notre Dame (2/15)
2018-19
- Was activated late in the season following an injury to Zion Williamson
- Played in four games, totaling 18 minutes and scoring three points
- Made his Duke debut on the road against Syracuse (2/23)
- Scored his first career points by hitting a three pointer against North Dakota State in the NCAA Tournament First Round (3/22)
DUKE CANADA TOUR -- SUMMER 2018
- Saw action in all three games, providing a spark for the Blue Devils off the bench
- Averaged 7.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, while collecting a pair of steals in the three contests
- Shot an efficient .500 (7-14) from the field, including a .455 (5-11) mark from deep
HIGH SCHOOL
- A four-star recruit ranked as the No. 41 overall prospect and No. 3 player in the state of North Carolina in the class of 2018 by ESPN
- Reclassified from the Class of 2019 to 2018
- Rated as the No. 33 overall prospect and regarded as the seventh-ranked small forward in the class by 24/7 Sports composite list
- Rated as the No. 48 overall prospect in the 2018 class by Rivals.com
PERSONAL
- Full name is Joseph William Baker
- Born on September 13, 2000, in Fayetteville, N.C.
- Son of Jennifer and Michael Baker
- Has a sister, Annie
- Was on pace to graduate as Trinity Christian's salutatorian before his decision to reclassify
- Majoring in Political Science at Duke
Time for a little shake and Baker off the bench! A solid pick-up!
Like the 'microwave' Vinnie Johnson
If Baker could average a dozen, that'd be great.
He averaged 4.5 points as a senior and couldn’t get minutes as a defensive liability so that feels pretty unlikely.
Don’t really think he moves the needle all that much on this team but probably a good pickup for some floor spacing in spot minutes that won’t shakeup anyone on the team. All in all probably a best case scenario given where we are in the calendar and better than having an open unused spot next year.
He didn’t get minutes at Duke because there were 3 NBA draft picks ahead of him in the rotation all at his position. He’s not going to be a defensive force, but he’s also not a liability.
That was this season, what about his 4 years on campus?
Well i responding directly to the other posters “4 ppg” comment which references baker’s last season.
As for the other 3 years. In 18-19 Baker played behind RJ Barret, Cam Reddish and Tre Jones, all NBA players. In 19-20 Baker played behind Tre Jones again and Cassius Stanley, both NBA players, plus Wendell Moore who is likely to be picked in this year’s draft. As for the 20-21 year, it seems Baker may have been injured as his effectiveness (efficiency) had an extreme drop, but he was playing behind fewer NBA players.
look, I’m under no delusion that Baker will come in and be a game changing or season altering player; he’s just not that great. But some people are on the entire opposite end of the spectrum in viewing him as a complete non entity. He’s a solid player and he’ll manage to have a sizeable role on the team this year. And, I bet he will be quite productive in the minutes he earns.
Well, those years aren't very relevant because we're getting him as a fifth year player, not a first or second year player.
So 13ppg then?