On Monday night, Ace Baldwin Jr. raced up the court with 4.3 seconds left to attempt one last shot before time expired. While he missed and it was a play that was rather forgetful, it was the final 4.3 seconds he played out of 40 total minutes for Penn State.
Star players staying on the court for most of a game is nothing new, but star players not sitting for the entirety of a game is of note. Even more so, star players playing all 40 minutes in four straight games is almost unheard of. That is unless your last name is Baldwin.
Since returning from a back injury against Michigan State, Baldwin has not sat for 160 straight minutes. He has been dealing with back tightness since late December, which caused him to miss Penn State’s game against Oregon on Jan. 12. Even with this ailment, the fifth-year guard is averaging 16 points (38.6% field goal shooting), 7.5 assists (4.3 turnovers), and 2.5 steals over his last four games. When asked about the reasoning behind Baldwin not sitting, Mike Rhoades had a simple answer.
“… We need him out there for sure,” Rhoades said Wednesday. “Being thin and moving guys around, you know, just having him out there as an anchor for us.”
Ace Baldwin Jr. returned for Penn State and had 20 points and nine assists against No. 12 Michigan State. (Malloreigh Yingling/Penn State Athletics)
Rhoades went on to acknowledge that it can be taxing to put this type of mileage on a player, but he’s confident Baldwin can handle it.
“… Part of it is how he’s feeling. Part of it is we need him out there. But it’s definitely something where we’re looking at all the time to see if we can get him a minute here or two minutes there to help him as the game goes on, for sure. We’re asking him to do a lot and be a lot. He can handle it, but it also puts a toll on any player to play those minutes for sure.”
A clear reason Baldwin has not sat the last four games is that he is the team’s most trusted creator, especially out of pick-and-roll. Penn State has run the third most pick-and-rolls in all of Division I, with Baldwin accounting for 15o of PSU’s 360 total pick-and-roll possessions, per Synergy Sports. Rhoades has leaned on Baldwin to facilitate and generate opportunities for his teammates, but the second-year head coach knows that others will have to step up.
“You want to make sure, you put him [Baldwin] in positions to succeed and lead our team, but also try not to put so much on him as well,” Rhoades said. “That’s a tough balance for a fifth-year senior point guard who wants it too. So, you know, that’s something we just keep talking about, keep addressing, keep talking to Ace about going from there. And you know, losing Puff [Johnson] makes that harder too, just the reality of it is, and we need to continue to have other guys step up as well.”
And others have stepped up, as Penn State is one of only four teams to have six double-digit scorers (this number includes Johnson even though he is out). The problem is that Rhoades’ ideal playing style involves the entire team creating for each other, which hasn’t come easy, especially in late-game situations.
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In January, Penn State has lost six games by an average of 9.3 points. Without its blowout loss to then-No. 13 Illinois, that number shrinks down to 3.4 across five games. The final two minutes of six of PSU’s seven conference losses have especially been difficult for Rhoades’ squad and he knows they have to be better.
“… As a coach, you want to pride yourself on winning close games — we’re not doing that,” Rhoades said. “So, disappointed in myself. I got to coach better. I got to help these guys better late in games.”
Rhoades added that he is proud of his team’s resiliency, but he emphasized that his team hasn’t been able to deliver the knockout blows.
“We’re not closing out games the way that I take pride in my team’s closing out games,” he said. “You take responsibility as a coach and a coaching staff. We’ve got to do a better job at helping our guys do that. From game management to understanding exactly how we’re doing it to our matchups to everything. And, you know, I’m proud of our effort and our approach late in games. We are making plays, we’re just not making enough or that one that closes out the game. And that’s what’s hurt us this month.”
CREATORS AND TURNOVERS
When asked if he thinks his team has enough shot creation outside of Baldwin, Rhoades paused and said, “At times.
“I do think the last couple of weeks, you know, our points per possession and our assists have created that and we got to get in that flow of sort of multiple guys making different plays and that ball being hot.”
The issue with the ball being hot and playing a more free-flowing style of basketball is that turnovers tend to be a byproduct.
“I do think that what has hurt us is our turnovers. If our turnovers are 10, 11, not 18, that’s winning and losing … Some of those turnovers are backbreaking is they’re bad turnovers. I don’t think the defense created those turnovers. We need those extra possessions to win those games.”
While Penn State ranks 168th in turnovers per game (12.0), it has averaged 13.5 over its last four games, with a season-high 18 coming against Michigan. With 10 games left on the schedule, the Nittany Lions will have to bring those turnovers down, especially in competitive games, if it wants to extend its season into March.
