The NBA Summer season League is about to kick off, and the New York Knicks have plans to bolster their roster.
With the hiring of Mike Brown as the brand new head coach, the New York Knicks can lastly utterly deal with bettering their roster for the 2025-26 NBA season.
They’ve already taken main steps with the signings of Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, however that’s not sufficient. One other manner the Knicks can enhance is by discovering an underrated participant throughout the NBA Summer season League.
Talking of which, the Knicks have signed Yudai Baba to their Summer season League roster. However who’s Yudai Baba? Let’s discover out.
Born in Toyama, Japan, Baba is a 29-year-old guard who has amassed a wealth of expertise taking part in outdoors of the NBA.
He’s formally listed at 6’5″ and weighs about 198lbs, recognized for his ever-so-athletic “Baba Growth” dunks.
Talking of his abroad profession, Baba has spent two seasons within the NBL in Australia, the place he averaged 7.2 factors, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per sport whereas taking pictures 43.5% from the sphere and 29.8% from the three-point line.
Whereas Baba definitely must work on his taking pictures from deep, it hasn’t stopped him from being a mainstay within the Japanese Nationwide Group.
He has represented them in two FIBA World Cups and the Olympics, the place Baba put up 7.9 factors, 2.4 rebounds, and a couple of.3 assists per sport. The proficient guard additionally shot a significantly better 47.3% from the sphere and 38.7% from the three-point line.
| All-Time Stats (Japan + NBL) | Yudai Baba |
| Factors | 7.4 PPG |
| Rebounds | 2.3 RPG |
| Assists | 1.5 APG |
Though the 29-year-old sensation has by no means earned an NBA contract, he has proven his abilities throughout the NBA G League on two separate events.
| G League Stats | 2019-20 Season | 2022-23 Season |
| Factors | 6.3 PPG | 12.3 PPG |
| Rebounds | 2.6 RPG | 4.9 RPG |
| Assists | 1.2 APG | 2.1 APG |
Whereas Baba’s numbers don’t massively stand out, he has definitely improved as a participant lately. It’s no shock that the Knicks have prolonged an invitation to him for the Las Vegas Summer season League.
Except for shining within the G League, Baba additionally attended coaching camp with the Dallas Mavericks forward of the 2019-20 NBA season.
He was on the roster with the likes of Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith. Nevertheless, Baba’s unimpressive 4.0 factors and a couple of.3 rebounds per sport within the Summer season League led to the Mavs waiving the Japanese guard.
Now, as a extra polished participant, it will likely be fascinating to see if Baba can impress the Knicks and earn a spot on probably the most iconic franchises within the NBA.
