Wade Baldwin, Vanderbilt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mDMcyVhDps
Age: 20 years old Size: 6’4, 202 pounds
Last Season’s Stats: 14.1 points; 4.0 rebounds; 5.2 assists per game
Percentages: 42.7% from the field; 40.6% from three-point; 79.9% from the free throw line
Wade Baldwin is one of the more difficult prospects to estimate. His physical tools are off of the charts. 6-foot-4 and 202 pounds as a point guard is epic, but to add in a wingspan of 6-foot-11 is borderline unthinkable. To put this into perspective, Ben Simmons, the projected first pick in the draft, has a wingspan that is only an inch longer as a power forward. Baldwin is long, stocky and quick, but is that enough to make him an NBA-level talent?
For as long and strong as Baldwin is, he is awful at converting at the rim. Shooting a lowly 38.2 percent is the opposite of ideal for a guard of his size. Another curious aspect of his game is how bad he is in the pick and roll. Physically, he has all of the tools to be un-guardable in the pick and roll, but he tends to get lazy or force the issue too much to the tune of a meager 0.71 points per possession on pick-and-roll plays and an equally bad turnover percentage of 20 percent. He tends to drive into walls of defenders and loses focus on the defensive end. Baldwin did hit 42.2 percent of his three-point attempts at Vanderbilt but is a much more streaky shooter then a consistent threat from downtown.
The Nuggets do need a backup point guard and all of that length is hard to ignore. He fits the defensive mold that Malone is trying to instill in the Nuggets, but the more and more film that is seen on Wade Baldwin, the more that the common consensus is that he has more issues than length. Baldwin will be a longer-term project then many think. As an upside pick with the 19th selection he fits well but anything below the 15th pick is a stretch.
