The NBA Summer League is about to kick off, and the New York Knicks have plans to bolster their roster.
The hiring of Mike Brown as new head coach will allow the New York Knicks to ultimately focus fully on improving their roster for the 2025-26 NBA season.
They have already taken major steps with the signatures of Jordan Clarkson and Gerson Jabsere, but that’s not enough. Another way the Knicks can improve is to find players who are underrated in the NBA Summer League.
Come to think of it, the Knicks signed Yudai Baba to the Summer League roster. But who is Yudaibaba? Let’s look into it.
Born in a Japanese house, Baba is a 29-year-old security guard and has accumulated extensive experience playing outside the NBA.
He is officially listed at 6’5”, weighing around 198 pounds, and is known for his unprecedented “Bubba Boom” dunk.
Speaking of his overseas career, Baba spent two seasons in the Australian NBL. There, he averaged 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game, shooting 43.5% from the field and 29.8% from the 3-point line.
Baba certainly needs to tackle the shooting from his deep, but it has not stopped him from becoming a mainstay for the Japanese national team.
He represented them at the two FIBA World Cups and the Olympics, with Baba taking 7.9 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. The talented security guard also shot 47.3% from the field and 38.7% from the three-point line.
| Best statistics ever (Japan + NBL) | Judababa |
| point | 7.4 ppg |
| rebound | 2.3 RPG |
| assist | 1.5 APG |
The 29-year-old sense never won an NBA contract, but showed his skills on two separate occasions in the NBA G League.
| G League statistics | 2019-20 season | 2022-23 season |
| point | 6.3 ppg | 12.3 ppg |
| rebound | 2.6 RPG | 4.9 RPG |
| assist | 1.2 APG | 2.1 APG |
Baba’s numbers aren’t very outstanding, but he has certainly improved as a player in recent years. It’s no surprise that the Knicks expanded their invitation to him for the Las Vegas Summer League.
Aside from his glimpse in the G-League, Baba also participated in training camp with the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the 2019-20 NBA season.
He was on rosters such as Jalen Brunson and Dorinian Finney-Smith. However, Baba’s impressive 4.0 points and 2.3 rebounds for each summer league match resulted in MAVS exempt Japanese security guards.
Now, as a more refined player, it will be interesting to see if Baba can impress the Knicks and win a spot in one of the NBA’s most iconic franchises.