Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Former Duke Basketball Wing Now Heading to G League
After going undrafted following a five-year college career, Joey Baker began his pro path with Pieno Zvaigzdes in the Lithuanian Basketball League. But the 23-year-old, a former senior captain on Mike Krzyzewski's final Duke basketball team, drew a start in only two of his 15 games there, averaging 5.5 points in 14.6 minutes per contest.
Now, the 23-year-old Baker, a former four-star prep out of Trinity Christian School in Fayetteville, N.C., has a shot to make an impression in the NBA G League.
And he gets to do so in Michigan, the state where he played his fifth year of college ball as a 3-point specialist for Juwan Howard's 2022-23 Wolverines after graduating from Duke.
He'll suit up for Grand Rapids Gold, the G League affiliate of the Denver Nuggets. The franchise welcomed Baker via the following post on Monday, using a photo of him in Michigan gear rather than Blue Devil attire, presumably with the hope of selling tickets to some of his in-state fans:
As a Blue Devil, Joey Baker never averaged more than 5.0 points per game. However, he shot a respectable 40.5 percent from 3-point land as a senior, averaging 11.9 minutes across his 34 outings for a squad that reached the Final Four and finished with a 32-7 overall record.
Baker was part of a five-deep Duke basketball class that ranked No. 1 in the country and featured the cycle's top three prospects in RJ Barrett, Zion Williamson, and Cam Reddish, along with five-star Tre Jones.
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more updates on former Blue Devils in the professional ranks and other Duke basketball news.
