Patrick Baldwin Jr.
No player has seen his draft stock diminish further this last year than Patrick Baldwin Jr. A five-star recruit who was ranked as the fourth-overall prospect in the class of 2021 by 247Sports, Baldwin chose to play for his father at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee over elite programs such as Duke and Georgetown.
He struggled out of the gate for the Panthers before injuring his ankle, having finished the year with only 11 games played and 10 starts. For the season, he averaged a paltry 12.1 points per game on just 34 percent shooting including only 27 percent from beyond the arc.
Despite his discouraging freshman year, many draft boards still expect Baldwin Jr. to be selected in the first round due to his blue-chip pedigree and combination of size and skill. At 6’9 with guard skills and a picture-perfect jumper, he has the chance to become a walking mismatch a la Michael Porter Jr. in the NBA.
Thus far, his stroke has proved to be more flash than substance, however. If he can impress in the NBA Combine’s shooting drills, it’ll go a long way in recovering his draft stock. After all, Jabari Smith Jr. is a prospect expected to go in the top three due to his blend of size and perimeter touch.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: 2022 NBA Mock Draft: Early Look At Full First-Round Projections
Baldwin Jr. projects to be a much more fluid athlete at the next level, albeit more defensively challenged. With his high school ranking in mind and a solid shooting performance throughout the pre-draft process, some teams that missed out on Michael Porter Jr. won’t want to make that same mistake again.
Baldwin Jr. will also have to prove that his ankle has healed properly if he wants to boost his draft positioning.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: 2022 NBA Mock Draft: Early Look At Full First-Round Projections
Similar to MPJ, even if Baldwin can put it all together on the court, he won’t be of much use to his new team if he can’t stay on it. Teams will certainly be on the lookout for any concerning signs of a lingering injury.
