Yudai Baba and the Road Less Travelled

Written for nbl.com.au by Tom Hersz

The journey of Yudai Baba can be summed up by a famous Robert Frost quote.

“Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.”

If you’ve not heard the story about the Japanese basketball player who used the NBL as a pathway to realise his ultimate goal of playing in the NBA, it’s because it’s not yet been written. Yudai Baba is trying to change that.

Coming to the NBL and signing with Melbourne United under the special-restricted player rule for Asian players was not necessarily the path Baba had planned on taking, but since arriving in Australia, he has certainly embraced it.

Baba, now 25 years old, started his professional career in the Japanese pro league for Alvark Tokyo, where he helped them claim back-to-back titles. After a solid showing with the Dallas Mavericks at the 2019 NBA Summer League, Baba earned himself an Exhibit-10 deal – effectively a training camp deal – with the Mavericks.

Whilst he didn’t make it past training camp, his NBA goal appeared within reach and he landed with the Texas Legends in the G League for the 2019-20 season.

Baba averaged 6.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1 steal over 41 games with the Legends, and showed marked improvement from when he arrived to the latter stages of the season before it was suspended as COVID-19 emerged.

After heading back to Japan, Baba and his agent, Anita Smith of LivOn Global Sports Management, had to weigh up a few alternatives and make a choice. With the global uncertainty that COVID brought, Baba could stay in Japan and resume playing there; he could try to get back to the US and try his luck in the G League again; or he could try something new.

Smith, who is Australian originally, but now splits time between the United States, Europe and Asia, had to look at alternative paths for Baba to continue to develop and grow as a player, and to ensure he remained visible to NBA scouts.

“When Yudai signed with our agency, his mission was crystal clear. He wants to play in the NBA, and our mandate was to get him there,” Smith told NBL Media yesterday.

“So, from day one, that has been our collective goal and the decisions we’ve made every step of the way have been ‘how do we maximise Yudai’s chances to get to the NBA in the shortest possible timeframe?’

“We had to weigh up whether to wait and see what happens with the G League, which was not decided until very late in the year, or do we send him somewhere else so that he’s in a structured team environment, continuing to train and improve and work on his craft, and play in a league that is a credible stepping stone to the NBA?”

The NBL was put high on the list of options, given Anita’s familiarity with the league.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If you give Baba room<br>Baba will go BOOM ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBLCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBLCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL21?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL21</a> <a href="https://t.co/7YRCaZ4yFi">pic.twitter.com/7YRCaZ4yFi</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1365610031866019842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Baba’s only knowledge of the league came from having played against some NBL players when representing Japan against the Boomers in recent years.

“I didn’t know much,” he told NBL Media yesterday.

“But I already knew about Chris Goulding and Mitch McCarron from playing for [the] national team of Australia and knew they were in this league. So, I didn’t know a lot of things, but I knew a little about this league [from that].

The NBL became an increasingly viable option. Smith was familiar with the Asian Player rule and also knew how many NBA eyes were now on the NBL following the success of the Next Stars program.

“The NBL has done a terrific job about attracting more and more attention from NBA scouts and GMs,” Smith acknowledged.

The uncertainty around the G League in terms of the timing of the season and the ability to travel to the US eliminated that option.

The Japanese offers were lucrative and very tempting, but those did not sway Baba. According to Smith, he has made a massive bet on himself.

“He said ‘I know that the NBL is a better pathway to the NBA than staying in Japan. I know I could make a lot more money in Japan, but I’m going to improve and I’m going to be more visible in the NBL than staying in Japan,’” explained Smith.

So it really became a no-brainer in terms of sending him to Australia given how highly regarded and highly scouted the NBL has become.

“As soon as we started talking to teams, and Melbourne United in particular, we knew that their dedication to player development was very strong and that was of key importance.”

The added bonus was that he would be immersed in an English-speaking environment; something that both he and Smith saw as a bonus.

“Since our last season was suspended, I wanted to play in an English region [an English speaking country] because I have to improve my English. I want to become and NBA player so I have to improve my English skill,” he explained.

“And I know Australia’s FIBA ranking is so high, so I already knew about the Australia level [of play]. I wanted to play in a high level league and I wanted to improve my English, so that’s why I chose this league.”

Baba signed with Melbourne United in July and started preparing for a new pathway. He knew from playing against the Boomers that it was going to be a physical league. He knew how tough Australians are on the court.

“When we played against Australia the first time, we got smashed; we couldn’t do anything,” admitted Baba.

“So we had to, as a team – the national team of Japan, we had to be bigger bodied and play with more contact against our opponents.

“Actually, Australian basketball is stronger than other countries, so how to use our bodies, play through contact when trying to finish and rebound and stuff. A more physical style of play.”

Since arriving in Melbourne, Baba has had to adjust to a new country, a new city, a new team and a new league, all while contending with a language barrier. But Baba has taken it all in his stride as he’s been focused on just playing basketball and chasing his dream.

He’s actually fit in remarkably quickly when you consider all of those factors and it has helped that he really enjoys the structured nature of how basketball is coached and played in Australia.

“First of all the language difference – this is the biggest problem for me,” admitted Baba.

“But I’ve been trying so hard. Once I got on the court – actually compared to the United States, Australian basketball is more organised [structured], sharing the ball.

“So it was not too hard to adjust compared to [when I was] in the United States. Japanese basketball is similar to Australian basketball; organised, share the ball – definitely a higher level, but the system is similar to Japanese basketball.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="und" dir="ltr">?? <a href="https://twitter.com/babaseyo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@babaseyo</a> ??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBLCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBLCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL21?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL21</a> <a href="https://t.co/mczS4XoWT2">pic.twitter.com/mczS4XoWT2</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1363797455133835264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


And his teammates have certainly played their part in helping him acclimatise. Watch a United timeout and you might hear a slight difference when the players break to go back on court.

Rather than the traditional “One, Two, Three” when hands go in, they’ve made a point of counting out in Japanese “Ichi, Ni, San” to help their new teammate feel more at home.

“Yeah, every time,” Baba acknowledged.

“Because of them, I can just play. They make me feel comfortable and they make me feel like this is my home.”

Baba has made himself feel right at home. Through ten games, he’s averaging 9.6 points, 2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 threes. He’s shooting a stellar 51% from the field, 35% from deep and 89% from the free throw line – all in 22 minutes per game.

He has shown the ability to guard the opposing team’s best player and lock them down. He’s become an excitement machine in transition. And he’s knocked down some big shots at crucial moments to help Melbourne stay atop the NBL standings with a 9-1 record.

A strong showing against Perth in Round 4, gave us a really good glimpse at how good he can be. Baba helped to slow Bryce Cotton in the fourth quarter, while making some big plays himself, as United remained undefeated at that stage with a narrow win over the defending champs.

Baba finished that game with 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting, adding 3 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Dean Vickerman already had confidence in his Japanese wing, but this solidified it in terms of being able to play a broader role.

With recent injuries to Shea Ili and Goulding, Baba’s had a chance to do just that. He was inserted into the starting line-up against the Hawks in Round 5 and once again provided an offensive spark with 13 points.

He went on to start 4 games in a row and play 28 minutes per game over that span, setting a new NBL career-high in the process with 17 points – against Cairns – in Melbourne’s Round 6 win.

But throughout the change in his role, he hasn’t altered his approach at all.

“Same as before,” Baba explained.

“I know what I should do on the court, so my strengths are [playing] hard defence, running, transition offence and the three-ball. So, nothing changes.

“Even though I’m playing for starting five, just do my job, play [to] my strengths and that’s it. I don’t think [about it] too much and I understand my job, so that’s it.”

Ili returned last weekend, which shifted Baba back to the bench. And Chris Goulding may also return for tonight’s clash versus New Zealand, which could further change the way Vickerman uses Baba.

However, the fluctuations in his role don’t change anything for him. Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, he’s just trying to help his team. Baba knows that his minutes may vary from game to game, but he also knows that if he’s coming off the bench, sometimes that means he can have even more of an impact.

“My mindset as I said doesn’t change, but my playing style; running and defence – those plays bring energy on the court,” he said.

“So me playing sixth man - this is better for me to be honest. When they’re back on the court, when Chris and Shea are fully recovered, my mindset is not going to change. I want to do all I can do.

“When I was playing for Japan, I was sixth man, not starting five, so I got used to it.”

One part of his game that Baba has not been able to showcase much as yet is his playmaking. With McCarron and Ili manning most of the point guard minutes and the likes of Scotty Hopson or Goulding also having high usage rates, Baba has been used mostly as an off-ball offensive contributor.

He knows that as he gets more familiar with the league, with his teammates and with the environment he’s in, that he’ll likely have more of the ball in his hands as he did when playing in Japan. Baba averaged 3.7 assists per game in his second season with Alvark Tokyo.

“When I was playing in Japan, I used to play more of a playmaker role, using on-ball pick and roll, make assists, so if I could get used to this environment more, maybe I could show more of my playmaking, make assists and make someone [my teammates] better,” he explained.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Baba with the alley ?‍??<br>Jock with the OOP ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBLCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBLCup</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL21?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL21</a> <a href="https://t.co/7sGf7GAwhe">pic.twitter.com/7sGf7GAwhe</a></p>&mdash; The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1363781884820381699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


Even without being able to show off his full skillset, Baba is certainly benefiting from being in the NBL and with a winning culture in Melbourne. In terms of trying to get to where he is aiming to be in the future, being pushed by his teammates every day is huge.

“Already, I’m having so much fun,” Baba acknowledged.

“I wanted to play at a higher level than Japanese basketball and even G-League, and I can say this league is a higher level than those leagues. So every game I’m having fun and I’m excited. I’m so fortunate to play in this league so I’m really happy here.”

As far as what lies ahead beyond this season, he’ll have to wait and see. But Baba may not be one and done in the NBL.

 “I want to get back to the United States if I can play [there], but in this situation with COVID, who knows what’s going to happen?” Baba said.

“So, definitely I would be comfortable to play in this league. If I couldn’t play in the NBA on a two-way or something, then definitely I’d want to come back to this league to play with these great Australian players.”

While he may not have known much about the NBL last year, Baba now knows how tough this league is and how good it is.

As he continues to bet on himself, he knows how well it’s preparing him for what lies ahead. And that could make all the difference.