Post by jhb on Mar 30, 2021 10:44:56 GMT -5
Vin Baker
PF
6'11"
232
21
University of Hartford
Another small school stud, Baker comes to TMBSL after being a three-year starter at Hartford, where despite his Herculean efforts they couldn't overcome the lack of complimenting talent around him to do any better than .500 in his three final years as the main piece on the team. Scouts argue whether that was truly due to the lack of talent around him or if Baker just isn't a winning player...it will be an interesting dilemma for TMBSL GMs as they weigh whether to bring him into the fold.
Offensively, Baker was a volume scorer in college. He shot the ball from everywhere, including taking almost 4.5 threes per game in his final two seasons (which was ill-advised as he only made 30% of them). He had a hair-trigger when he received the ball within the arc, firing up jump shots whenever he got an inch of space. He was fairly effective on those, but his shooting stroke needs some work. He sat around 60-65% from the free throw line most of his college career. When he got the ball in the low post, he displayed an arsenal of moves to attack the basket, he just had a tendency to finish poorly on occasion. The lack of touch around the rim will need improvement if he's going to be a scorer at the next level. He used his athleticism to bully less talented players, as he was clearly the strongest and most explosive athlete at that level and could make space for himself with ease. That won't be as easy at the next level. Fortunately for Baker, he does have a very good handle for a player his size and did a good job to limit his turnovers considering the obscene amount of possessions he used for his team.
It's a similar story defensively. Baker was an elite defender at Hartford, sending back 2.5 shots per game throughout his entire college career. Scouts worry his athleticism relative to his peers will go from elite to above average at the next level and that will make his tools on the defensive end profile similarly above average rather than elite. Regardless, he is a willing defender and gives a ton of effort on that end. While he used his athletic advantage to be a solid rebounder at the college level, he'll need to put in more work on boxing out to have similar results at the next level. Frankly he should have been much better in that regard as a collegian.