With the third wave of the Denver Nuggets’ pre-draft workouts complete, we now turn our eyes to the cream of the crop so far. Without a doubt, that has been Vanderbilt’s Wade Baldwin IV. He has now finished his third workout and has been given tons of good feedback at all three. Having an impactful NBA combine did not hurt either and has led to his rise up draft boards everywhere.
Baldwin carries a vastly larger physical profile than most point guards. Sporting a 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame with an engulfing 6-foot-11 wingspan, he has a size advantage over 90 percent of NBA point guards. Not only is his size immense, though, but he also brings with him above-average athletic ability. He has a 38-inch max vertical and came in the top five in most agility and lateral quickness drills.
“People who question my athleticism, that is just funny to me,” Baldwin said at the Nuggets’ workout on Wednesday. “That is humorous. I mean if you are in the gym and watch me dunk the ball or the vertical jump I have, it doesn’t match the description. This lane agility stuff … people said I couldn’t move laterally that quick. I finished like top three in that category too. People have doubted me athletically.”
And it’s those doubters that have driven Baldwin to perform so well in the pre-draft process.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Baldwin said. “My competitive edge, it is just different.”
So with that athletic ability and relentless competitive attitude, it should be no surprise that he models himself after Russell Westbrook.
According to Baldwin, his agent has told him his draft range is between 10-18, which would be a pretty significant rise for a player who was projected to be a second-round selection just a few weeks ago. If true, and if the Nuggets truly are interested, then they’ll likely be targeting him with their 15th pick, and it makes sense. Denver needs a long-term point guard to pair with and backup Emmanuel Mudiay; Baldwin’s shooting and size could make him the perfect option.
