The Warriors are adding more size and shooting to their undersized roster.
With the No. 28 overall pick in Thursday night’s NBA Draft, the Warriors selected 6-foot-9 forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. from The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Baldwin is viewed as something of an upside pick, as he was formerly a top 10 nationally-ranked recruit in high school but struggled in his freshman season while playing for his father, who coached at Milwaukee. He averaged 12.1 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 34.4 percent from the field and 26.6 from 3-point land and played in just 11 games due to injury. Judging from the highlights, he looks like a fluid athlete who is comfortable handling the ball.
President of basketball operations/general manager Bob Myers and the Warriors have struck gold at the end of the first round before. So, what struck Myers and the front office about Baldwin?
"Size, mostly. Skilled. IQ," Myers said. "We watched some film with him and you can tell he's a coach's son. Our system requires pretty high-level thinking. He’s versatile and we think he can play with some of our guys. He’s what you might call a shooting big in some capacity but he can also pass. He handled (the ball) a little bit in college. Just checks a lot of boxes but he has gonna have to put it together."
This marks the second time in the past four years that the Warriors picked at No. 28. If Baldwin can duplicate the career arc of 2019 No. 28 selection Jordan Poole, Golden State would be thrilled. Poole struggled as a rookie before working through an up-and-down sophomore season and breaking through in 2021-22.
Myers said Baldwin was the top player available on their draft board by the time the No. 28 pick rolled around, despite the ankle injuries that hampered him last season.
"We had some pretty big fans in our front office group early on," Myers said. "They went and saw him before he got hurt. It is definitely an upside swing."
The Warriors also picked starting center Kevon Looney at No. 30 overall in 2017 and Draymond Green at No. 35 overall in 2012.
NBA insider Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer said he was a fan of the pick.
Playing time will be hard to come by for Baldwin, as he joins the reigning champs that already has a bevy of rotation-ready players under contract for next season. Baldwin’s addition could impact the possibility of players like Nemanja Bjelica, Damion Lee and Juan Toscano-Anderson returning via free agency.
Baldwin is raw, but he's rolling into a good situation where he'll have time to develop.
"He just need to put it together," Myers said. "He's got a great skillset. He's got a great-looking shot but he didn't shoot a high percentage. He can probably rebound better. If you watch him handle the ball, he's got a great handle. But it's just about getting it all together. He hasn't quite done that yet."
