Bump: https://gleague.nba.com/games/20190112/TEXMHU/ Both Caleb and Baldwin playing tonight, and seem to be doing better
Maybe, but for all of CJ's issues that dude is so smooth and good at getting his shot off, maybe similar types of players but I believe CJ at least right now is quite a bit better.
Baldwin bounced back with another 24 point game, his third in four games. Efficient 10-20 shooting, 6 boards, 3 assists, 2 steals and only one turnover. Swanigan was 6-9 for 15 points, 10 boards and 2 blocks. If they’re showcasing them, tonight was a good night.
I really wish Terry could find time to get Baldwin some minutes. He is so long for his height. He has a 6'10 wing ( which btw is only 1 inch less than Prince) We could use his defense against certain players. But similar to Jake, Wade needs consistent minutes to get better. With Harkless out maybe start ET with CJ and Dame and bring Baldwin off the bench with Curry and Jake? Not sure how to get him minutes but I know he fills a need.
I love Baldwin but he doesn’t fit with ET at all. Baldwin needs the ball in his hands at all times to be effective and he doesn’t really space the floor.
I agree he does not fit with ET, thats why I said play him with Curry and Jake. If Dame ever gets hurt for an extended time we will need to start Baldwin along side CJ and Jake.
has it really come to that?....we're allocating 2nd unit playing time on whether or not they fit with Turner...? that signing keeps getting worse. At least we're more than half-way thru the pain
He had good defense for about 50 minutes for us and now everyone thinks he's this great defender. He hasnt proven that yet.
yeah maybe I missed something but his big defensive display was when he surprised Harden in a game and got under his skin. It was fun to watch for sure but not necessarily an indication of any established skill. Meyers Leonard got under the skin of Demarcus Cousins a couple of times but then Cousins came prepared for it in a game against Portland and scored 50 points while leading the Kings to a win but if Baldwin has shown defensive chops he's also shown he's supposedly a PG with an assist/turnover ratio of 1.4, which is horrible for a PG; and the last thing Portland needs is another undersized SG who shoots under 39% on two's and 27% on three's.
He’s played pretty good defense in other displays besides the Rockets game, but thats the one everyone remembers. I thought he may turn into a decent back up PG for them but if he hasnt even cracked the rotation Im guessing he just isnt very good at this point.
True but I am not suggesting starting him, I am suggesting developing him so he is ready to help out against certain players in the playoffs. That comes with minutes against real NBA players. It is the same thing for Layman, we know he is not going to be consistent when he is out there, but the potential is obvious. The hope is with consistent minutes he can help late in the season. He might not be great, but he still might be the best option we have at SF. Baldwin also might not be great, but similar to Jake, he still might be the best option we have defensively against certain guards......if he got a little more experience. Was it Pat Riley who talked about needing 12 guys to win a championship? (Paraphrasing here) But the bottom line is it would be nice to have the option of having a long guard coming off the bench if Harden got some of our players in foul trouble.
In Summer League he absolutely shut down Trae Young. so much so that the Hawks decided not to play him the 2nd time we played them. Most of Baldwin's stats come from garbage time. All of them this year do. Last year in garbage time he wasn't usually the point guard as that was Napier. I'm not saying you're right or wrong but I don't think we can come to any conclusions on his PG skills based on stats. I think that is @Pinwheel1's point that we should at least see if there is anything there worth developing. Without meaningful minutes running the 2nd unit it's pretty difficult to tell as fans what he is capable of. As noted he is a terrible fit with ET. For me to be a good defender you have to have the attitude and mindset to want to be a good defender and at the very least Baldwin portrays himself as someone who wants defense to be his calling card. It would be nice to see if it was just a flukey few games last year or if he really could be a lock down perimeter defender. That is something this team does need.
All I’ll say about Baldwin’s defense is that he’s been good at it wherever he’s gotten minutes, going back to college. Baldwin has questions, but defense should be the least of the worries. That’s the one thing in his game I feel comfortable about.
I agree. Baldwin has looked bad in the very few minutes he's been on the court. With more playing time, he may not look great, but he also wouldn't look so bad.