Baylor Basketball: Grading the Bears roster thus far this season

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Dec 17, 2016; Fort Hood, TX, USA; Baylor Bears head coach Scott Drew (second from right) sits on the bench during a game against the Jackson State Tigers at Abrams Physical Fitness Center. Baylor won 82-57. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports /

Guard Ishmail Wainwright — A

You all must be saying, ‘Wait, why is he giving the team’s seventh leading scorer an A?’

Again, look deeper than just the stats.

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While Wainwright is only averaging 5.5 points, is only shooting 39 percent from the field and is only hitting 29 percent of his threes, he impacts the game in numerous ways and is the leader of the entire roster.

The 6’5″ senior guard rebounds, distributes, plays tough defense and is excellent at the free throw line. He makes all the little plays as a high IQ “coach on the floor.”

Wainwright also versatile on both ends of the floor. He can guard multiple positions and impacts the game with his length and aggressive mentality on defense. On offense, he can play both the two or three and occasionally take the ball up the floor.

After watching the Bears up close during their trip to the Bahamas, it’s evident how important his voice is. He is the rock for this Baylor team. When things go wrong, Wainwright is not going to panic, which in turn makes others comfortable with their positioning as a unit. Against Louisville, the Bears weren’t pointing fingers when they were trailing by 22. Instead, Wainwright gathered them for huddles during dead balls and helped everyone keep their heads up in order to spark a comeback.

It may sound like nothing from the outside, but if you ask Scott Drew how critical Wainwright is, he’ll tell you he’s the most important player on the roster.

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