Three-point shooting
Across Baldwin’s two seasons at Vanderbilt, he made 1.2 of his 2.9 three-point attempts (42.2%). When he declared for the draft and was selected by the Grizzlies, he appeared to be ready for a low-volume three-point shooter role in the NBA.
But that number dove once he reached the big leagues. In the 33 games with Memphis, he made 13.6% of his threes-point tries (only 22 attempts), and in the G-League he converted on 31.1% of threes.
His success worsened in the next G-League campaign with Texas – he made 23.9% of his threes.
But the rollercoaster started on its way back up at the end of the 2017-2018 season. He sunk 4 of 5 three-pointers in seven games with the Blazers, and made his only attempt during playoffs.
Then, in seven games at the 2018 Summer League tournament, Baldwin knocked down 8 of his 16 three-pointers. His release looked calm and smooth, forcing defenders to honor him on the perimeter and concede a lane to the basket.
Consistently knocking down outside shots will encourage Portland’s coaching staff to play him more. The Blazers want additional three-point shooters, plus it allows other aspects of Baldwin’s game to open up like it did at Summer League.