Last Friday, the 2022 draft, the defending champion Golden State Warriors, the first move of the summer was born. With the 28th pick in the first round, the Golden State Warriors selected Patrick Baldwin Jr., a 20-year-old rookie forward from the University of Milwaukee. In the new season, he will wear the Warriors' No. 7 jersey.
Warriors fans have mixed praise and criticism for the team's operation, which has become a repertoire after the draft in recent years. In 2020, the debate about whether three goals should be given up for Wiseman is still popular in major discussion circles among Warriors fans. In 2021, there is a debate about who is more suitable for the Warriors, Bouknight or Kuminga. , has also been popular for a while. This year's selection of Baldwin also caused great controversy.
Many Warriors fans wonder why the team doesn't trade away their draft picks. On the one hand, the young players who are already in the Warriors , such as Kuminga and Moody, are desperate for support and cannot get playing time. Choose another potential striker who needs to be developed. I wonder what the Warriors want? On the other hand, the Warriors are a team with an explosion of luxury taxes. The Warriors have to spend 7 times the price to complete a signing. For a 20-year-old rookie, they have to spend 7 million US dollars to sign him. It is reasonable. , are not suitable. In addition, Baldwin has a history of serious ankle injuries. It is not good to spend money and energy to choose someone, but he chose a sick person to come back?
Before explaining these issues, let us first understand the player Baldwin and see what magic he has that charmed the Warriors' management to finally sign him.
Let’s first adjust the timeline back to a year ago. In fact, at this time last summer, it was absolutely impossible for the Warriors to win Baldwin. That was when Baldwin was at his most high-spirited. As a 5-star high school student, he was selected for the U.S. U19 men's basketball team to participate in the World Cup. He averaged 17.2 minutes per game, scoring 7.7 points and 5 rebounds. With his height of 2.08 meters, silky shooting touch, and comprehensive offensive skills, Baldwin has attracted the attention of scouts across the United States. At that time, Baldwin was at the top of the prediction lists of all major drafts, locking a top 10 spot. If the Warriors only relied on the No. 28 pick, it would be impossible to select this young and talented player.
Baldwin's most attractive charm in high school was the combination of his tall body and powerful shooting ability. To some extent, Baldwin is a bit similar to Michael Porter Jr. of the Nuggets, or in other words, like a bankrupt version of Durant. He is 2.08 meters tall and shoots with both hands raised. Such a high shooting point is very It is within the reach of ordinary people and cannot be interfered with casually. In addition, Baldwin has a father who is a professional basketball coach. In scientific training since childhood, he has developed excellent shooting posture and shooting hand shape. From the exertion of his legs to the final shot, the whole process is done in one go, as silky. Smooth, without the clumsiness of a huge 2.08 meter body. In addition, Baldwin is proficient in various off-ball shooting skills, including catching and shooting on the move, mid-range jumpers from the free throw line, and floaters after air cuts. A shooting guard with a power forward body, this is the talent that Baldwin showed in high school. A year ago, he was hailed as the best shooter among this freshman class.
But unfortunately, after his glorious high school years, Baldwin ushered in a nightmare year in college, which directly caused Baldwin's draft stock to plummet, and he was lucky enough to be picked by the Warriors.
The starting point of the nightmare lies in the choice of university. In fact, after graduating from high school, Baldwin was favored by many famous college basketball schools in the United States, including Duke University. But in the end, Baldwin rejected all these invitations and chose the University of Milwaukee precisely because of Baldwin's father. , is coaching the university’s basketball team. Thus, a much-loved story about "trapped children" began.
Because the head coach is his biological father, Baldwin was given great privileges at the University of Milwaukee. He was the team's leading attacker and had unlimited rights to fire. He could attack however he wanted, but such privileges were not only unhelpful. To Baldwin, it hurt him instead. In fact, the thin Baldwin was not ready for the high-intensity confrontation of college basketball, and he could not shoulder the role of a team's main attacker. Under the high-intensity defense of college basketball, Baldwin was lost. He was never a breakthrough player. Now in the confrontation in the muscle jungle, Baldwin's movements were deformed and his shots were inaccurate. In one season in college, he was once known as the Class of 2022. He is the best shooter, shooting only 29% from outside. To make matters worse, the University of Milwaukee is not a famous basketball school. There is no helper around Baldwin. He struggles very much, but the whole team still counts on him to attack and score. The result is a vicious cycle. Baldwin is not a ball player. A player with a low quotient, but now he has to take extremely difficult shots that are beyond his ability. The difference in data and senses on the court can be imagined.
Then injuries appeared. The ankle injury, the coronavirus pandemic, all came crashing down on Baldwin. Throughout his freshman season, Baldwin continued to struggle with ankle injuries, so he missed a lot of games. In mid-January, Baldwin made a hasty comeback from the injury, but his performance after his return was still hard to describe. Then Baldwin He might as well completely recuperate and prepare for the draft. The price he pays for this is the falling draft market.
Therefore, taking Baldwin with the 28th overall pick was both a miss and a gamble for the Warriors. Overall, it was a wise choice. Yes, Baldwin is a player who has injury risks and is not physically ready for NBA in all aspects. But don’t forget two things: Curry also suffered from ankle injuries early in his career, and thanks to the efforts of the Warriors’ trainers, there were no major problems after 2013; in 2019, Jordan Poole When the Ice Shooter came out, his shooting problems were very similar to Baldwin. Then the progress in the past three years was obvious to the whole world. Therefore, the Warriors have enough experience to help Baldwin complete his growth and transformation. When Baldwin realizes his talent, he will be able to use his tall size, excellent shooting ability, and coquettish off-ball movement to perfectly integrate into the Warriors' entire offensive system. , inheriting the glorious tradition of Golden State Warriors shooters.
In addition, although the selection of Baldwin is of greater significance to the Warriors in the future, it will also have a certain impact on the Warriors' present. A large shooter at the fourth position is the position the Warriors are most lacking right now. Last season, the Warriors' only option at this position was Otto Porter, but Porter's contract expired in the summer and the free market is full of uncertainty. The Warriors may not have a chance to bring Porter back this year. Even Porter's replacement cannot be found on the free market. Therefore, to a certain extent, Baldwin is the Warriors' Plan B, preparing for Porter's possible departure.
Now, the Warriors have assembled their own set of future starters: Poole , Moody, Kuminga, Baldwin, Wiseman. Can these five talented young people inherit the Warriors' torch and pass on the Warriors' winning culture in the future? Time will give all answers.
