NBA Draft: Grading every first-round pick after rookie year

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 14: Patrick Baldwin Jr#7 of the Golden State Warriors poses during the 2022 NBA Rookie Portraits at UNLV on July 14, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

28. Golden State Warriors – Patrick Baldwin Jr., Milwaukee

The Golden State Warriors appear to heavily weigh high school tape when evaluating prospects, frequently taking top-ranked players like Nico Mannion and Patrick Baldwin Jr. who tumble down draft boards after a shaky college season. Baldwin was as bad as you get playing for Milwaukee in the Horizon League, but he also battled injuries and had an elite profile coming out of high school.

The Warriors don’t offer a ton of studio space for teenagers to get playing time, but when Baldwin did play as a rookie he looked good. He is big and can absolutely shoot the ball, and at a minimum, he looks like a longtime rotation player as a stretch big. How his rebounding and defense come around will determine how much of a role he can earn as a sophomore, and how much his ball-handling game comes around will dictate his long-term upside to be more than just a shooter.

For now, I’m a believer in what he showed already as a rookie, and if he can stay healthy there is plenty of unrealized potential. Look for the Warriors to use him more this year if they don’t bring back JaMychal Green. Only Jaden Hardy has a higher redraft grade than Baldwin of the available players here.

Grade: B-

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