Duke basketball: 20 serious concerns about 2020-21 Blue Devils
By Matt Giles
Question No. 6 for the 2020-21 Duke basketball team…
Can Joey Baker be more than just a spot-up shooter and energized teammate?
Of the 10 Blue Devils last season who played more than 10 minutes per game, Joey Baker averaged the most 3-point makes per 40 minutes on the floor (3.3). And the former four-star prep out of Fayetteville, N.C., did so while knocking down 39.4 percent of his tries from downtown, not to mention his exquisite percentage from the charity stripe (91.7), albeit from a small sample size,
Put simply, Baker can shoot. No doubt about it. His form needs no adjustments. As a 6-foot-7 wing, he’s certainly able to get his shot off, though typically not off the dribble. Plus, as Duke basketball associate head coach Jon Scheyer recently told the media, the junior needs no attitude adjustment, for he’s proven to be an instant spark of energy and a common favorite among fans:
“If you ask anybody in our program, players, coaches, managers, whoever…they’re going to rave about Joey. He’s as hard of a worker as we have on the team … He has more to his game. Basically, all we have to tell him is just relax, it’s going to happen because he wants it so badly. You love to coach a guy like that.”
But the Duke basketball world is looking for more out of Baker this season in terms of quantifiable results outside of his silky shot. Scheyer suggested that said results should be on the way:
“He’s been working hard … When he’s under control and gets in the paint, he can be a very good passer and playmaker for us. Not to mention, he’s even a quicker shooter and gets his shots off in a variety of ways. He had seven three’s the other day in practice. I didn’t want to just skip over that part because at the end of the day, making shots is a heck of a skill to have, especially for Joey.”
Also at the end of the day, Baker’s shot-making prowess again won’t be on full display for long stretches if he remains a liability on defense and a one-trick pony on offense. We shall see.