New York Knicks: 6 Takeaways From Orlando Summer League

Ron Baker Starts Slow, Comes On Strong

What we knew coming into the Summer League was that Baker could shoot the ball. He has the work ethic to be an NBA player, but not necessarily the size as he could struggle playing shooting guard full time, and looks more like a point guard or combo guard. His defense was also called into question, as he was said to not be athletic enough to keep up.

It was a mixed bag at time for Baker, but he showed mental fortitude and never got down on himself even during the tough times. Baker, like many of his Knicks teammates, struggled mightily when things started. He was shooting brick after brick, but managed to finished the five games with a respectable 37 percent from deep and 40 percent overall; impressive since he shot 7-for-27 overall to start and 2-for-12 from deep.

He does have to work on his point guard skills though if that is where he translates down the road. The Knicks struggled with him running the show until Randle returned from injury, which may have partly been because he was not expecting to play point guard. Whatever the reason was, he needs to continue improving in that area.

Defensively, Baker more than held his own. He and Randle were terrors for opposing backcourts, as Baker had multiple steals in the last four games and averaged 2.8 per game. He looked athletic enough to keep up and battled on that end of the court despite his struggles offensively.

Baker signed a partially guaranteed deal as an undrafted free agent, and should at least receive an invite to training camp. If he doesn’t make the Knicks opening night roster, expect them to try and stash him on the D-League roster to get some seasoning there.

Next: Athletic Wing Shows Off Athleticism