The NBA Summer time League is about to kick off, and the New York Knicks have plans to bolster their roster.
The hiring of Mike Brown as new head coach will permit the New York Knicks to finally focus absolutely on enhancing their roster for the 2025-26 NBA season.
They’ve already taken main steps with the signatures of Jordan Clarkson and Gerson Jabsere, however that is not sufficient. One other manner the Knicks can enhance is to seek out gamers who’re underrated within the NBA Summer time League.
Come to think about it, the Knicks signed Yudai Baba to the Summer time League roster. However who’s Yudaibaba? Let’s look into it.
Born in a Japanese home, Baba is a 29-year-old safety guard and has amassed intensive expertise enjoying exterior the NBA.
He’s formally listed at 6’5”, weighing round 198 kilos, and is thought for his unprecedented “Bubba Growth” dunk.
Talking of his abroad profession, Baba spent two seasons within the Australian NBL. There, he averaged 7.2 factors, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per sport, capturing 43.5% from the sphere and 29.8% from the 3-point line.
Baba definitely must sort out the capturing from his deep, however it has not stopped him from changing into a mainstay for the Japanese nationwide workforce.
He represented them on the two FIBA World Cups and the Olympics, with Baba taking 7.9 factors, 2.4 rebounds and a couple of.3 assists per sport. The gifted safety guard additionally shot 47.3% from the sphere and 38.7% from the three-point line.
| Finest statistics ever (Japan + NBL) | Judababa |
| level | 7.4 ppg |
| rebound | 2.3 RPG |
| help | 1.5 APG |
The 29-year-old sense by no means gained an NBA contract, however confirmed his expertise on two separate events within the NBA G League.
| G League statistics | 2019-20 season | 2022-23 season |
| level | 6.3 ppg | 12.3 ppg |
| rebound | 2.6 RPG | 4.9 RPG |
| help | 1.2 APG | 2.1 APG |
Baba’s numbers aren’t notably excellent, however he has definitely improved as a participant lately. It is no shock that the Knicks expanded their invitation to him for the Las Vegas Summer time League.
Other than his glimpse within the G-League, Baba additionally participated in coaching camp with the Dallas Mavericks forward of the 2019-20 NBA season.
He was on rosters similar to Jalen Brunson and Dorinian Finney-Smith. Nonetheless, Baba’s spectacular 4.0 factors and a couple of.3 rebounds for every summer time league match resulted in MAVS exemptting Japanese safety guards.
Now, as a extra refined participant, it is going to be attention-grabbing to see if Baba can impress the Knicks and win a spot in one of many NBA’s most iconic franchises.
