On Saturday Aron Baynes created Australian basketball history, scoring 37 points, the most ever by an Australian in a single NBA game, as his Suns defeated the Blazers 127-117. He then backed it up today with a 24 point, 7 rebound in a 140-131 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Baynes went from getting zero minutes against Toronto on Wednesday with coach Monty Williams deciding to run with Phoenix bigs DeAndre Ayton and Dario Saric instead, to starting on Saturday in place of centre Ayton and notching up a career-high nine 3-pointers, five in the first quarter, as well as adding 16 rebounds and two blocks to his career high.
Baynes reached new heights for an NBA big man with his nine triples becoming the most ever made by a starting centre in NBA history.
After the game the big man from Cairns made light of the feat when asked if he had realised he had hit nine threes by the time he had left the court.
“I probably hit a few more in warm ups… I really wasn’t thinking about how I shot the ball I really was just focused on our defence” Baynes said.
Baynes remained hot from outside the three point line today, nailing four three-point shots and finishing with a clip of 13 of 25 (52%) from downtown across the past two games
Aron Baynes drops 24 points and 7 rebounds against Milwaukee after notching up a career-high 37 points vs Detroit the night before. He is averaging 31 points, 7 rebounds and 7 triples per game since returning to the Sun’s lineup after a DNP-CD on Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/4su9NiEHZD
— AussieHoopla (@aussiehoopla) March 9, 2020
During the team’s postgame interview Baynes teammate Mikal Bridges made fun of how well Baynes has been shooting the ball since returning to the Suns lineup.
“He hit the first one and I’m like the happiest person going around. As soon as he hit one I’m like Ok, it’s over. Then when he hit the second one I was like oh yeah, it’s gonna be a long night, ya’ll better stop helping off this man” said Bridges.
“Why didn’t he only play 43? What’s going on.”
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) March 9, 2020
“Hey, listen, it was cash right? And he was hot, too.”
Welcome to #Suns B&B Show as Mikal Bridges and Aron Baynes talk about Bridges’ big minutes today vs. #FearTheDeer and Baynes’ stepback 3 Friday over #RipCity Damian Lillard. pic.twitter.com/yvYwxRQHxI
The performance also tied the Suns’ franchise record for three-pointers, joining Channing Frye in April 2011 and Quentin Richardson in December 2004.
Congratulations @aronbaynes on tying my record! You owe me a free trip to Australia for inspiring the next generation of big man shooters!
— Channing Frye (@channingfrye) March 7, 2020
The 208cm centre had played five seasons in the NBA and only ever hit one three-point shot but a move to Boston and some encouragement from coach Brad Stevens saw Baynes step out to the perimeter in 2018-19, a season where he went 21 for 61 from downtown.
“When [Baynes] first signed [in Boston], I remember him just hitting shot after shot after shot from 15 to 17 feet. I talked to him a little bit about corner range, and then above-the-break range.
He shot them every single day through training camp, through practice, through pregame shooting and everything else. We’ve encouraged him to shoot all year, especially from the corners.” Brad Stevens said in 2018.
During the off-season Baynes suited up for the Australian Boomers in the 2019 FIBA World Cup and was incredibly effective from the outside. Baynes made 11 from 21 three’s during the tournament and upon returning to the NBA has become one of the best shooting centres in the NBA.
This season, he’s taking 3.9 threes per game, making them at a career-high 36% so far in the regular season.
Outsides of Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Karl Anthony-Towns, Baynes is taking and making more three pointers than any big man in the league.
When looking at centres who had made more than 55 three-pointers this season Baynes is more effective than every other big man bar Towns, Miami’s Kelly Olynyk and Toronto’s Serge Ibaka.
Baynes has had a career year in Phoenix, averaging 11.3 points (5.8 for his career), 5.7 rebounds (4.5 for his career) and a career high 21.7 minutes per game.
Baynes’s 37 points outshone the previous best scoring night from an Australian, topping San Antonio Spurs Patty Mills who scored 34 points in 2012 and Philadelphia 76ers Ben Simmons who had also notched up 34 points in a game in January this year.
The records kept falling with Baynes joining Houston Rockets’ star James Harden as the only two players who have recorded nine three-pointers and grabbed 16 rebounds in the same NBA game.
He’s now one of only two players in the last twenty years to record at least 6 threes and 10 rebounds in a half (Wilson Chandler being the other).
Baynes is an unrestricted free agent and could see him wind up on another team’s roster next season, which would be his fifth in seven seasons.
It’s thought the Suns will make an offer to the 33 year old as despite missing Deandre Ayton for 30+ games, Kelly Oubre for 20+ games, Frank Kaminksy 35+ games, Baynes missing 20+ games and the team still potentially winning 35 games this season, Phoenix could be a playoff team simply by just resigning their current player group. Something the Suns haven’t achieved since 2010.