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Despite only returning one starter from last season, the No. 22 Michigan men’s basketball team was expected to dominate the season opener against Purdue Fort Wayne.
But the downsides of key roster turnover showed early on. A slow start with the Wolverines shooting poorly from the field left them in need of a spark plug.
Struggling to produce offensively, losing defensive assignments and falling short of the success they showed in the exhibition matchup, the Wolverines needed some juice.
Enter graduate guard Joey Baker.
Just over four minutes in, Baker was set and ready, standing in the corner of the court as the first sub off the bench. With his hands mimicking his shooting form, he knew he would end up with the ball — and the opportunity to make a momentum shot.
Batting the ball around the arc, Baker’s teammates fed him in the corner. As the ball floated off his fingertips and barely touched the net on its way through the hoop, Baker changed the course of the Wolverines’ season opener minutes into the game, sparking an 18-0 run that laid the foundation for Michigan’s lead. For the rest of the game.
“He can shoot the ball,” junior center Hunter Dickinson said. “I think you saw it there tonight. He is a floor stretcher. Someone who pays a lot of attention and makes it easy for me if I’m on the floor there.
There has been plenty of speculation about Baker throughout the offseason. Transferred from Duke and undergoing hip surgery, it’s unclear how successful Baker will be in providing much-needed senior leadership to this Michigan squad after extensive roster turnover.
Baker also offers 3-point shooting ability, a trait the Wolverines missed last season. But with limited playing time with the Blue Devils, many wondered if that shooting would continue in a bigger role.
Baker put those questions to rest Monday night.
“The kid knows how to play,” Michigan coach Juan Howard said. “One of his strengths is shooting and I don’t want him to pass up any open shots. Let it fly. Avoid, we live with the results.
All nine of Baker’s points came from behind the 3-point line. Shooting 50% from deep, Baker resurrected a poor 3-point shooting night from the grave as the Wolverines shot just 31% from beyond the arc. Baker was a key component of the Wolverines’ offense, adding three rebounds and one assist to the stat sheet. In just 12 minutes of play, he had a profound impact on the Wolverines’ tempo and overall trajectory of the game.
While he was a spark on the offensive end, Baker’s flame flickered on the defensive end. Back from hip surgery, Baker isn’t the fastest or most agile player on the floor. He forced players like Dickinson to help his man and led to easy scoring opportunities for the Mastadons.
“(Howard’s) philosophy has always been like, ‘As long as you can protect your man and stay in the right spot, I’ll let you out on the offensive end,'” Dickinson said. “Guarding on the defensive end is big for him. He always talks about ‘two-way players’.
If Baker can correct those defensive mistakes and evolve into the type of “two-way player” Howard is looking for, Baker could become a more consistent contributor.
With more playing time, Baker gets more opportunities to establish himself as a dangerous sharp-shooter that other teams have to contend with. Adding another layer of offensive depth along with his 3-point shooting will only help open up the floor for players like Dickinson.
But whatever the situation, Baker proved Monday night that he can revive a dormant offense.
And confidence that can’t be taught.
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