Michigan Basketball: Joey Baker explains what he’ll bring to Wolverines

Joey Baker was added to the Michigan basketball roster in the transfer portal and he spoke this week about his decision and what he’ll bring to the Wolverines. 

Coming out of high school, Joey Baker was a top-40 recruit and he was signed by the Duke Blue Devils, one of the elite programs in college basketball.

The 6-foot-7 wing had a solid but unspectacular four years with Duke, which was incredibly talented while he was there. Baker never emerged as a starter for Duke but one thing he did consistently was knock down 3-pointers and that’s been well-documented.

And since Michigan basketball lost some of its best shooters from last season’s Sweet 16 team such as Caleb Houstan and Eli Brooks, it made sense to add a shooter with Baker’s credentials.

Baker has averaged at least 2.2 3-point attempts over the past three seasons and twice shot better than 39 percent from deep. He’s also a career 37-percent shooter. But, as he talked about on The Defend The Block Podcast, he knows he needs to do more than shoot.

"“If you’re a good defender, it’s hard to take you off the floor,” Baker said. “That’s one thing that I’ve learned over the course of my four years, is that defense wins. Being a good defender, someone that can be counted on and depended on to get stops and be a solid defender is huge. That’s an area I want to improve on. I want to be known as someone that can be counted on to get stops and can guard other good players.”"

Baker also talked about what he can bring to a locker room that’s a little on the young side, despite the return of All-American center Hunter Dickinson.

"“Impact winning, in the locker room being the older presence and sharing some of the knowledge that I’ve gained in my four years at Duke and making an impact on the court,” Baker said of what he wants to display in 2022-23. “Doing the same thing, using my skillset and shooting ability and willingness to do whatever it takes to win and help us win games.”"

Baker seems like a perfect fit

Getting players out of the transfer portal can always be risky but the Wolverines added two veterans for the 2022-23 season and both were former top-100 recruits.

Both also filled a glaring need on the roster. Jaelin Llewellyn is a point guard who can play in an offense designed around ball screens. He can also shoot well enough to make teams pay for going under screens and focusing too much on Dickinson.

Baker, who probably won’t start but should come off the bench, can also provide key spacing for Dickinson. Opposing teams are forced to double the big man and last season, the Wolverines missed too many open looks, especially in March.

Baker shouldn’t have an issue with that and since I’d expect him to play closer to 20 minutes a game with the Wolverines, he should be knocking down a bunch of treys for Michigan basketball.

He also seems like a perfect fit for the culture and a guy who understands his role, as well as what it takes to win. So all in all, it seems like Baker was a perfect fit for Michigan basketball, just like we thought all along.