Rookie Growing Pains Yield Gains: Wade Baldwin IV
By Andrew Ford
Rookies are not finished products. Bits and pieces of their game might already make sense, but they typically have plenty of work to do before reaching what is thought of as their “ceiling.” Some reach the peak of their powers, but many others fall well short.
The difference between rookies that establish themselves in the league and those that eventually fade away into the wind is the ability to minimize holes – both large and small – in their game. Every player that enters the league has a weakness that will be ruthlessly targeted by the opposition until he is able to prove that he can’t be taken advantage of in that way any longer.
In Wade Baldwin IV’s case, his biggest weakness is his inability to get to the rim off the bounce — particularly in the half court — with great regularity. As a point guard in a pick-and-roll heavy league, Baldwin will need to develop the ability to spot holes in the defense – poke and prod until an opening arises – and then attack relentlessly.
More from FanSided
- MLB Rumors: Cardinals budging on Arenado, Orioles-Ohtani package, Yankees backup plan
- Patriots backup plan for DeAndre Hopkins is a shot in the dark
- Raiders: Saquon Barkley’s new contract may have screwed over Josh Jacobs
- Clark Hunt throws cold water on potential Chiefs throwbacks
- Packers: 3 free agency mistakes Brian Gutekunst should already regret
Currently, Baldwin is either unwilling or unable to attack the paint against a set defense as much as is necessary. He possesses excellent court vision, but seeing the floor will only get him so far if he can’t learn how to slither his way into the teeth of the defense off the bounce to set the table for those beautiful passes that he is capable of making.
First and foremost, Baldwin must learn to distinguish when to be selfish in the way of pursuing offense for himself and when to back off the throttle and feed his teammates. He has a tendency to look for his teammates before seeking out holes for himself to attack. A proper balance needs to be struck.
The following play in the Las Vegas Summer League against the Milwaukee Bucks is a good example of Baldwin being too unselfish. While the roll man appears open, the help defender is already on his way up from the low block to meet the roll man on the catch.
More importantly, options exist for Baldwin to take it himself when he turns the corner. One option is to cut sharply back to his right, essentially splitting the defenders attempting to corral him and opening a lane to the paint. This is something Mike Conley is a master of, so Baldwin will have a good teacher at his disposal. The other option is to drive straight into Thon Maker’s body. Maker steps up to meet Baldwin as he rounds the corner, but he’s standing flat-footed. Instead of passing the ball to the roll man which leads to a turnover, Baldwin should put his shoulder down and go directly into Maker. That would almost certainly result in a foul on Maker, because he’s not in a proper defensive stance.
Here’s another example of Baldwin’s poor decision-making on drives. He’s typically great in transition, because he can utilize his strong frame and explosiveness to get all the way to the rim. But sometimes the lane just isn’t there as is the case on this play. He has three defenders set in front of him with multiple options available for a pass. Hitting the guy sprinting down the right wing to the corner or the trailer would both be better options. Instead, Baldwin keeps the ball and drives straight into a defender who has perfect position resulting in a charge. Where is he going?
Assuming Baldwin gets his decision-making on drives sorted out, the next point of focus should be developing counter moves. Like many young guards who make it to the league, he’s more than capable of getting to the rim in a straight line. However, Baldwin struggles when his defender establishes proper position and cuts off his initial move to the rim.
In the play below, Baldwin executes a hesitation dribble after utilizing a pick set by a teammate. His defender does an excellent job of reading his body and staying in front. A strong crossover, big step back, or a solid spin move could all get Baldwin out of trouble once he’s initially cut off from the rim, but he’s not able to call on any of those move regularly at this stage of his development.
To become a great point guard in the NBA, Baldwin must develop an arsenal of moves off the bounce that enables him to create separation one way or another. If his ball skills never advance, he might be limited to playing his career out as a backup, which would be disappointing given how much he provides in other areas of the game.
More than a handful of people have compared Baldwin to Russell Westbrook largely because of the young guard’s significant strength and explosiveness. Unlike Westbrook though, Baldwin doesn’t possess the ability to stop on a dime, explode up, and hit a jumper as his defender is still backpedaling. Baldwin also isn’t nearly as capable of keeping his defender off balance as Westbrook. There’s a good chance that Baldwin will never be on Westbrook’s level, but he could stand to learn a thing or two about offensive creation from the superstar.
The last thing Baldwin needs to work on to make himself a better driver is his loose handle. He tends to bounce the ball up around his chest rather than keeping it low to the ground. This makes him more susceptible to steals or momentarily losing control at the very least.
Things become easy for Baldwin’s defender when he doesn’t even make them defend his drives because he shuts them down himself with unforced errors like the one detailed in the next clip.
Baldwin loses the ball early which eliminates his chance to ever test the defense. He must practice keeping the ball closer to the ground and closer to his body to limit turnovers and maximize his ability to penetrate defenses.
In a perfect world, Baldwin would be able to do what he did on one play in particular against the Bucks during summer league. In the following clip, he sets up the pick-and-roll with a slight misdirection dribble before exploding left around the pick. The big man hedges high attempting to cut off Baldwin’s drive, but Baldwin is persistent. He rounds the corner and heads straight to the rim at full speed. Once at the rim, he leaps up and throws down a monster slam over an outstretched defender.
That kind of aggression and those natural instincts tease us about what Baldwin could be some day, but nobody should expect that to be the norm out of the gate because of all the aforementioned areas of improvement that Baldwin must first tackle.
Playing his rookie season under a rookie head coach in David Fizdale could help Baldwin tremendously, as Fizdale has a reputation as a players coach. He’s certainly learned a lot about that aspect of the game from serving under Erik Spoelstra for so many years.
Fizdale will need to be patient with Baldwin and allow him to make errors that teach him the hard way. Sometimes throwing a rookie to the wolves and letting him fend for himself is the only way to make him stronger the next time and the time after that. Coaches are sometimes too quick to yank young guys after a mistake, making them even more timid the next time the scenario arises again. Lionel Hollins and Dave Joerger, both former Memphis Grizzlies coaches, were infamous for their short leashes on rookies.
The Grizzlies aren’t exactly flush with backcourt players, so minutes should be there for Baldwin. Baldwin’s ability to improve at creating off the bounce from day one throughout the course of his rookie contract just might be the difference between him leading a team’s offense one day and pigeon-holing himself into a niche role.