NBA Stars On 'The Baynes Effect'

The latest chapter of one of the most remarkable comeback stories in Australian sport will be written this weekend.

When Aron Baynes steps out for Brisbane against Perth on Sunday, the beloved big man will complete an inspirational return to pro hoops.

It has been a long, hard road to recovery for Baynes, who suffered devastating injuries last year after a freak accident at the Tokyo Olympics that initially left him unable to walk.

Almost a year and a half has passed since then and Baynes is now ready to make his NBL debut as he attempts to lead the Bullets to victory in the Jungle.

As we draw closer to that moment, a number of Baynes’ former teammates and coaches – both from the Boomers and the NBA – have spoken with NBL Media about ‘The Baynes Effect.’ 

ANDREW BOGUT
One of Australian basketball’s all-time greats, Bogut played alongside Baynes with the Boomers, including at the 2016 Olympics and the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

“Baynesy is the epitome of, probably, overachieving. Coming out of college, he really had to work for everything he got. That includes playing for the Boomers and in the NBA. A lot of people thought he wasn’t an NBA player and then he got to the Spurs, carved out a decent role there, and then went on to a few different teams and had different successes. That’s a guy you want in your club. He’s been through the good, the bad and the ugly and he knows what the day-to-day looks like for a club to be successful.

“He’s going to have his ups and downs early in the season until he finds his feet. But going from lying on a hospital bed for months on end and learning how to walk again to playing professional basketball in any capacity, it is a testament to the time and effort he has put into his rehab. He’s always been a beast in the weight room and that’s the kind of guy you want around.

“His journey has been phenomenal to watch and hopefully it comes with a cherry on top where he has a great year, and we see him close that chapter in the NBA in a year’s time.”

DEANDRE AYTON
The top overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Ayton spent his second professional season as a teammate of Baynes, when they played together for Phoenix.

“Having Aron Baynes as a teammate was great. Him and I were always in the weight room together. I looked up to Aron as a vet with how he’d approach the game and took care of his body before and after games.

“Preparing for games too, always making sure to stay in shape regardless of how minutes you play. He was always the guy with his physique and his mentality from being in the game for so long, it shows. Seeing the value in being consistent like that helped me. Aron helped me a lot in my younger days in the league.”

RICKY RUBIO
A legend of Spanish basketball, Rubio is an 11-year NBA veteran who played with Baynes for the Phoenix Suns in the 2019-20 season.

“He has been on championship teams, and you can tell he learned from the best. His good spirit is contagious, and he knows the game very well and he has learned to adapt to the game. I still remember playing against Portland and him dropping 37 points with nine threes. He looked liked Steph Curry out there!”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">? Baynes 37 PTS, 9 3PM ?<a href="https://twitter.com/aronbaynes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@aronbaynes</a> records career-highs in points and threes, lifting the <a href="https://twitter.com/Suns?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Suns</a> over Portland! <a href="https://t.co/q3AN8ARhEu">pic.twitter.com/q3AN8ARhEu</a></p>&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1236184808385949702?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

“I shared a locker room with ‘AB’ for just a little more than half a season because of Covid, but the short time I spent with him, I was impressed with how hard he worked.

“He brought good vibes to the locker room every single day with his positive attitude and always sharing his knowledge to help others become better.”

JAY LARRANAGA
Currently an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers, Larranaga served as an assistant at Boston for nine years, where he worked with Baynes across the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons.

“Everybody that I talked to in Las Vegas, after Aron’s workout there, talked about how good he looked.

“Aron didn’t have the easiest path to the NBA in the first place. This is not something that’s new to him, he’s had to fight and work his way through tough times before, in order to achieve his goals. The thing is: he has shown an ability to do that at a very high level. You guys are lucky to have him in the NBL this season.”

ANDREJ LEMANIS
The former head coach of the Boomers, Lemanis coached Baynes at the 2016 Rio Olympics, as well as the 2014 and 2019 FIBA World Cups.

“The first thing about ‘Baynesy’ is just his work ethic and commitment, both on and off the court. He always gives you everything he’s got and always plays in the best interest of the team. Off the court, the way he looks after his body is as good as I’ve seen from anybody.

“I know he had a lot of challenges to overcome in order to get back to the basketball court but, given his commitment to being the best that he can be, I’m not actually surprised that he’s been able to overcome those challenges.

“I’m stoked for him because he just loves the game and loves to play. I’m looking forward to watching him play in the NBL, where I think he’ll be a dominant player and have a real impact for both the Brisbane Bullets and the league.”