Who Is Damion Baugh? Inside Knicks’ Latest Addition With Lakers Connection

Damion Baugh “wouldn’t have guessed in a million years” that his role would be this large… When the TCU Horned Frogs lost their two primary ball handlers, Maxwell Evans and Shahada Wells, because of injury, in their 2021-22 season, Baugh had to step up because he was the only guard completely fit to replace them. Talking about the hooper’s work ethic, leadership, and talent, Frogs’ coach Jamie Dixon said, “Damion’s been on the team that’s won the most. He’s been consistently that guy.”

Before joining TCU, Baugh played for the Memphis Tigers (2019-21), and when he was asked about how it was playing under NBA legend Penny Hardaway, he answered, “It was great, I learned a lot of things, how to read pick and rolls, how to use my athleticism, finish around the rim, defensive things, just everything.”

While Baugh has learned a lot from his developmental years, the Tigers had engaged him on the defensive end, he was mainly an off-ball guard. His offensive output wasn’t efficient, and despite starting 25 games as a sophomore and averaging over 20 minutes per game, the hooper’s average was less than five points per game.

Will Damion Baugh’s hoops fortune favor him in the NBA 2024-25 season with the NY Knicks?

The 24-year-old hooper was in the Lakers camp on an Exhibit 10 deal last year. He was waived off from the LA side before the start of the season and played for their G League team, where he averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 37 games. Damion Baugh, however, has now reportedly signed on the dotted line with the New York Knicks to an Exhibit 10 contract and he will most likely be playing for the franchise’s G League side, where he can earn a bonus of up to $77.5K if he remains there for at least 60 days.

The pro journey so far has not been very promising for Damion Baugh. He didn’t play well during the NBA Summer League last year while he was with the Lakers. During the five games played in Las Vegas, he averaged 3.0 points on 30% overall shooting and 20% from 3-point range. While Baugh showed good speed in handling the ball in the open court at times, he’s yet to show any real potential in any other facets of the game, especially when it comes to his deep-range shooting.

Before opting for the NBA draft, Damion Baugh played two seasons with the Horned Frogs (2021-23) and made a strong impact. He averaged 11.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game in 60 games in both seasons. After his addition, TCU had its first NCAA Tournament victory in 35 years in 2022! He scored 14 points and went 5-9 from the field, and his team led for most of the game.

A mini rough phase that Bough faced after not enrolling for the NBA draft

Damion Baugh had served a six-game suspension imposed by the NCAA for signing with an NBA-certified agent much before declaring for the NBA draft in 2022. He had made up his mind to enter the draft but eventually decided to remove his name and return for his senior season with the Frogs. TCU coach, Jamie Dixon, clarified that the hooper reported the incident by himself.

Damion Bough told the coaching staff, which they then shared with the school’s compliance office. “It did not include any benefits, lasted for a matter of days, and was handled the right way internally,” Dixon said.

“While we believe the penalty to be too severe, we accept the suspension.” Baugh’s mother, Samantha, admitted that her son’s involvement with the agent lasted only few days. As per her, he did not receive any benefits nor did he participate in any NBA workouts.

“It wasn’t a long time,” Samantha said, “He didn’t take anything. It was a difficult time and it was just a time when a kid was just trying to help his family. Damion wanted to figure out how to help us. He has a daughter. But in the end, school is where he wanted to be,” Baugh’s mother concluded.

Concerning the rule, hoopers still in college can only sign with an NCAA-certified agent. And as we come back to the present day, we wish an abundance of luck to Damion Baugh for his journey with the Knicks.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.