3 thoughts on Joey Baker’s transfer to Michigan Basketball

Baker is a plug and play

The great thing about Joey Baker is that there shouldn’t be much question about what his role is or what he can do. He isn’t moving up from the Ivy League or another smaller league into the Big Ten, he’s coming from the ACC and one of the best programs in college basketball.

Baker is used to playing in hostile environments and big games. He didn’t play much in the Blue Devils’ Final Four run a year ago, but he’s not going to be intimidated playing in the NCAA tournament. He’s also going to know his role.

He’s never averaged more than 12 minutes a game, so he’s not coming to come in and demand a ton of shots or shake things up. No one else’s role is really diminished because of his addition. He also has the reputation of being a high-character guy.

For his career, he’s made 35 percent of his treys in ACC play. He shoots 28 percent from deep on the road and better than 40 percent at home (more natural splits). He also shot 47 percent on neutral floors.

The idea of playing with Hunter Dickinson had to be intriguing, especially because his best shot is that corner 3. He should get plenty of kick-out looks this season and if he can make those consistently, which Houstan didn’t, it will open things up even more for Dickinson down low.