Memphis Grizzlies Media Day: Wade Baldwin looking to build off Summer League

This summer was a big one for Wade Baldwin and his maturity. Could he bounce back from a tough rookie year to be a contributor for the Memphis Grizzlies?

When talking about this summer, Wade Baldwin used one key word: leadership.

In this year’s Summer League, the Memphis Grizzlies coaching staff appointed Baldwin as the captain of the young squad. After a rough rookie year, it was a tall order for the young guard, but he rose to the occasion.

He capitalized on the opportunity to battle De’Aaron Fox, the fifth pick in this year’s draft. In this matchup, he proved why he was a first-round pick and looked like a player who had NBA experience. In one of the playoff games, Baldwin seized the opportunity of taking the last shot and won the game as a result.

Wade Baldwin loved the opportunity of being the captain. When I asked him about leadership this summer, he said:

"I think it was a big step in my development. And I think that leading that team to the semifinals was a small sign of what I can be going forward."

Going forward

Now that the season is approaching, Baldwin is looking to carry over his leadership experience to lead over the second unit. With Mario Chalmers in town, many believe that Wade — or Harrison — may see the door. Baldwin doesn’t see it that way and brings the idea of “playing together.”

This season is a big year for his development, but there’s hope. He calls his development this summer a “night and day” transformation from his rookie year. He also hopes that his experience from his trials rookie year help him in his development for this season.

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The Memphis Grizzlies and the fans should be excited. The team has an influx of young talent and having a few of them break out to contribute next year would be huge for this team.

Given the Grizzlies’ past luck with first round picks, Wade Baldwin has a chance to break the trend.