OKC Thunder Prepping For Summer League, Add Robert Baker to Roster
The Oklahoma City Thunder are always a few steps ahead.
While the main focus this month revolves around the June 23 NBA Draft, a quick turnaround will follow at the start of July with the Utah and Las Vegas Summer League. For the Thunder, they’ve already looked beyond their draft-day haul, receiving their first commitment for Summer League play.
As reported by Hoops Rumors, the Oklahoma City Thunder have received a Summer League commitment from forward Robert Baker, per his agent Jerry Dianis.
Baker, age 23, played 26 games for the Stockton Kings, the Sacramento Kings’ G League affiliate this past season. With the Kings, Baker averaged 4.7 points and 2.5 rebounds across 11 Showcase Cup games. In 15 regular season games, he averaged 3.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in a 10.6-minute palate.
In four seasons at Harvard, Baker logged averages of 4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 99 games with the Crimson.
Baker hardly played for the Kings, however, he must’ve caught some attention from Blue ranks in his stints. He’s a 6-foot-10 power forward who finds his greatest strength attacking for dump-off passes and alley-oop passes. He also carries a solid jumpshot, which can be a plus for floor spacing.
In all likelihood, Robert Baker will be playing for a spot with the Oklahoma City Blue this upcoming season. It’s worth noting though, that Baker might not even have the OKC Blue on his mind as oftentimes – G League players swap teams for Las Vegas based on teams’ positional needs. This was displayed last season as Zavier Simpson donned a Lakers jersey while Melvin Frazier Jr. joined the Wizards’ group. Due to Health-and-Safety, the Wizards did not participate in last year’s Summer League.
The Oklahoma City Blue could see a potential facelift this offseason as all five of last season’s returning members fetched NBA minutes last season.
Baker is expected to play alongside Josh Giddey and Aleksej Pokusevski, among others, at the Utah Summer League.
