Patrick Baldwin Jr. joins Bonta Hill, Chris Mullin and Festus Ezeli on “Warriors Postgame Live” after Golden State’s win over the Utah Jazz.
Patrick Baldwin Jr. arrived in the NBA with a very valuable trait: The ability to knock down a jump shot from anywhere on the court.
But in order to thrive with the Warriors, the rookie understands he has to do more than just shoot.
"I already know I have a skill to bank on and that's the jump shot," Baldwin Jr. said on "Warriors Postgame Live" after Golden State's 112-107 win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. "But becoming a more [well-rounded] player on both ends of the ball is important for us going forward. I know that's where I've got to take care of my work. And then just being a complete player offensively."
Baldwin Jr. wasn't supposed to play against the Jazz, but with Draymond Green and Donte DiVincenzo both listed as questionable earlier in the day, the Warriors summoned the 20-year-old from Santa Cruz, where he practiced with the G League team earlier in the day.
At about 6 p.m. PT, Baldwin Jr. arrived at Chase Center in San Francisco, not knowing if he would be needed. But coach Steve Kerr called on the 2022 first-round draft pick in the second quarter and he played nearly seven full minutes.
Baldwin Jr. scored six points in his first run of the game, making two of his three 3-point attempts while also grabbing three rebounds. He added five more points in the second half, finishing with 11 in the game, the second-highest total of his young NBA career.
While James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody have been in the Warriors' system for a while, Baldwin Jr. is getting his first taste of being around future Hall of Famers Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, and that experience has helped him grow.
"I think that's big time for any young guy," Baldwin Jr. told Hill, Mullin and Ezeli. "We step into the office, we put our hard hat on, we get to bank on four Hall of Famers in our locker room. They are great voices, they give us great confidence and a lot of advice. So it's just awesome to have them around 24/7."
Minutes with the Warriors have come sparingly for Baldwin Jr. as he only has played in 10 games. But he's starting to show flashes of why the front office used the No. 28 overall pick on him.
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If Baldwin Jr. can use this year to work on those areas he knows are important to the team, he could become an integral part of the rotation as early as next season.