Warriors: 3 first-round picks Patrick Baldwin Jr. will have a better career than

First-round pick Baldwin Jr. will be better than: Malaki Branham

Branham was the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He came out of Ohio State and stands 6-foot-5, so he has good size for a combo guard.

Branham was a stud with the Buckeyes, shooting 49.8% from the field and averaging 13.7 points per game. Branham did compete in five summer league games and struggled to keep the same level of efficiency, shooting under 43% from the field.

While he’s a playmaker, Branham doesn’t create often for his teammates, averaging 2 assists per game with the Buckeyes and 1.4 per game in his five summer league appearances.

If he is a score-first guard and can’t keep up his efficiency, Branham may not make it long at the highest level in basketball. There is potential for him to be a Dejounte Murray-like talent, but that’s more of a ceiling with a relatively low floor.

Branham has a wide variety of outcomes, but his floor, which I expect to be closer to where he ends up given his lack of creating for others and inefficiency in summer league, could be why he may struggle.

Baldwin Jr. isn’t absent of flaws as well, but he’s certainly got potential for a longer career than most if he can stay healthy and become more efficient.