I don’t think that White and Baker are similar players overall. Like, at all. And that is why I am skeptical that Baker will see much PT next year. What I was getting at was the offensive role would be the same: stand in the corner or on the wing as a catch-and-shoot guy who never dribbles. Ideally, that guy gives you tough defense like White did. And if White hadn’t lost his shooting touch, he was a perfect fifth guy for that Duke team. Just like if Baker was better defensively, he could be a perfect fifth guy for next year’s team. The role was what I was referring to as similar, not the players attempting to fill it. Ultimately, White lost his stroke and ceased to be able to fill the role offensively. Baker will likely not be able to fill the role defensively.
As for ballhandling, I do think it is perhaps the most valuable skill for a player, if not second to shooting. But I don’t think it is a skill that is easily/quickly improved. And it isn’t necessary for every player on a team to have it - you just need to have enough guys that can do it to not get one-dimensional. I also don’t think that Baker improving as a ballhandler will have much positive impact on his shooting, because I don’t think he can get good enough at it in one offseason to become a guy who can create his own shot. I think he is going to continue to be reliant on others to create his open looks. The past two years haven’t been great in terms of having shot creators, and as a result Baker has struggled. Next year we might have several shot creators, so there is a chance for Baker to flourish as a catch-and-shoot guy. So I tend to agree with Tommy that his best path is to become a knockdown shooter who is adequate defensively. So he should probably spend all offseason working on defense and various catch-and-shoot 3pt looks.