Did the Grizzlies Give Up on Wade Baldwin’s Season Too Quickly?
As the Grizzlies have cycled between Andrew Harrison and Toney Douglas, Wade Baldwin has been receiving playing time in Iowa. But should he really be there?
When the Grizzlies drafted Wade Baldwin, there was a serious amount of hype. I mean, who wouldn’t be? You got a head coach who’s known for player development in Dave Fizdale. Then, they drafted a guy that some have dubbed as “Little Westbrook.” WOW!
Related Story: Media Day: Wade Baldwin on Goals for Rookie Year
There has been some glimpses of potential this season. He had a few good games in the preseason, a stellar 7-6-5-3-3 debut and a some other nice performances. However, it’s been kind of a blunder for Baldwin, averaging 3.4 points on a shooting slash of 31.0/11.1/84.4, two assists and 12.9 minutes in only 24 games.
Poor shooting and decision-making led to his stint in the D-League. In Iowa, Wade Baldwin is averaging 13.1 points on a shooting slash of 44.4/34.9/75.6, 5.3 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 28.3 minutes in 30 games.
As the Grizzlies are in the thick of the playoff race without a solid answer at the point guard, it makes me wonder if they gave up on Wade Baldwin’s season too quickly?
Related Story: Three Reasons to Recall Baldwin
The Rest of the Draft Field
Usually, around this time, rookie tend to hit a “rookie wall.” However, this class has broken the trend. While most freshmen struggled out of the gates, high draft picks and lower picks alike are showing out right now.
Kings rookie Skal Labissiere has benefitted tremendously since the DeMarcus Cousins trade, averaging 10.6 points and 6.2 rebounds in only 16.9 minutes per game in 11 contests. In addition, he just had the first 30-point game of anyone in this draft class.
Tyler Ulis has officially been give the keys to the Phoenix offense with Bledsoe out. He’s currently thriving, scoring 10.1 points and dishing out 6.2 in 23.8 minutes per game in 12 games.
Some rookies have also produced on playoff-bound teams. Jaylen Brown has received a more prominent roles (23 minutes per game in 12 games) and has come through, averaging 10 points on 44.1 percent shooting from downtown. Malcolm Brogdon has stepped up since Jabari Parker went down, scoring 12.5 points on 39.0 percent from behind the arc.
Given this trend, it wouldn’t necessarily hurt the Grizzlies too much. Maybe, just maybe, he could spark something.
Mixing it up
Grizz nation has been frustrated by Fizdale’s willingness to mix things up a bit. He’s moved Brandan Wright and Andrew Harrison in and out of the lineup. Tony Allen and JaMychal Green were shifted to the bench (imagine the outrage about that one). Then, they tried James Ennis at the two. Didn’t work.
Finally, a Chandler Parsons injury forced Fizdale to go with his original starting-5 with Vince Carter in at small forward right now.
With the bench rotation not so steady, Wade Baldwin could’ve benefitted from a new role. Most of his minutes have come without Mike Conley. The Grizzlies could try him out at the 2-guard alongside their All-Star point guard to spark something.
The Grizzlies could right the ship now, but if their inexperienced players aren’t consistent enough in the playoffs, Fizdale may wish that he would’ve developed his first-round pick in real-time NBA action.
Next: All-Star Break Review: Wade Baldwin
Closing Remarks
Wade Baldwin has all the tools to be a great player in this league. He has great size, speed and athleticism. In addition, he has the drive to be great.
The rookie season wasn’t too much of a success. With the playoffs on their mind, let’s just hope that the Grizzlies regret not giving Baldwin enough time in real NBA games. However, at this point, it looks like they will continue to develop him into a professional basketball player in Iowa for the remainder of the season.