Bakker breaks down how bench depth and defensive physicality fueled a dominant performance, highlighting Malik Reneau’s versatility and Jase Richardson’s emerging leadership in a signature Summer League win.
On the group's second-half performance to build the lead:
"I like that everybody stayed ready. We had a number of guys that hadn't played yet this tournament and a number of guys that didn't start. As you saw, Lester [Quiñones], Tai Tai, and Keon [Ellis] didn't play in the second half. Those guys did a great job of maximizing the moment, but they've been doing that the last two weeks—from practices to our scrimmage, to playing five-on-five in practice. They did a great job of staying ready and staying engaged. All those guys got their numbers called and I was super proud of them, both to win the game and to play well while knowing what the game plan was and what we were trying to do. I'm really proud of those guys."
On the skill set and upside of center Malik Reneau:
"I knew this was going to happen today. It was tough early on because Colin [Castleton] and Will [Bilas] are two-way players, and when we had Zay [Isaiah Wong], it was just tough for him to get minutes. But he has great size. Obviously, we saw his shooting ability, and his touch around the rim is very good. He's a strong kid, confident, has a good basketball IQ, and he's really skilled and versatile. If the defense is in a drop, he can pick and pop. If they play small, he can take a guy to the block. He has a lot of different tools and is a really talented player."
On the impact of forward Au'Diese Toney:
"The physicality that he brings both on offense and defense. You saw when he got downhill with the drive—he shoulder hits, absorbs contact, and gets to his spot. Defensively, he did a great job of physically switching. They had a number of shooters out there, especially late in the game when they had three or four really good shooters on the court. He did a great job of switching out with physicality, taking them out of their rhythm, and having that individual pride on the ball."
On assessing Jase Richardson's performance throughout Summer League:
"I'm proud. He came in here and did exactly what I was hoping he was going to do and what he showed he could do. He was consistent from training camp to our scrimmage, all the way through the four games that he played. His leadership, controlling the tempo, and taking on the best matchups on the other side of the floor in terms of who the opposing point guard was stood out. You saw his shooting ability, and I think in the second or third game he had six assists and zero turnovers. He can make shots, he can playmaker, he guards the best player, and he controls the tempo of the game. Just an all-around really good two-and-a-half weeks for him."
On his first impressions of forward Noah Penda:
"Obviously, I hadn't spent much time around him before, so these were my first impressions. First off, he wanted to play every game and he never wanted to come out—you love that. He's a competitor. He wanted to be in the gym and was coming back at night before we even got here, so he puts the time into his game. He did a great job of staying simple offensively. We wanted him to screen and roll and shoot the three, which is why he shot such a good percentage from three; he took the right type of threes. Defensively, you saw the physicality, the fight, and the versatility guarding the other team's best wing players. He showed a lot, not just on offense or the shooting numbers, but to me, the buy-in to the role and the execution of what we were asking him to do. It was about impacting winning, and that's obviously what it's all about."
On Isaiah Nelson's injury update and recovery outlook:
"I saw him the next morning after the injury and his spirits were high right away. He was like, 'Coach, I'm going to get the surgery and I'll be back ready to go.' You kind of anticipate a guy being down for a few days after something like that, but that sums up who he is. His character and his spirit as a human being are just very engaged, positive, and optimistic. He's a great worker. If he was that good the day after, I know he's going to attack his rehab and execute the plan to get back on the court. The great thing about him is that he likes to study the game and watch film. It's not like he's just going to be sitting out doing no basketball development over the next three months. We can watch a lot of film, talk through scenarios, and continue to grow his IQ. I really love the positive energy he brings to the team."
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