Golden State Warriors: Patrick Baldwin Jr’s wild day ends in career-best performance

After waking up not even expecting to suit up on Wednesday night, Golden State Warriors’ rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr. ended the day with a career-best performance in the team’s 112-107 win over the Utah Jazz.

The 20-year-old “changed the game” according to head coach Steve Kerr, with Baldwin recording 11 points in 13 crucial minutes as the undermanned Warriors rallied to overrun the Jazz in the fourth-quarter and secure another important win.

After training in Santa Cruz earlier in the day, Patrick Baldwin Jr. wound up playing a vital role in the Golden State Warriors’ victory over the Utah Jazz at Chase Center on Wednesday.

Baldwin and fellow rookie Ryan Rollins trained in Santa Cruz on Wednesday afternoon, with no expectation of being involved for Golden State later that night. But after Draymond Green and Donte DiVincenzo were listed as questionable for the game, the Warriors rushed their youngsters back to Chase Center with the pair arriving just an hour before gametime.

Even then, Baldwin only received an opportunity thanks to foul trouble for second-year forward Jonathan Kuminga. The 28th overall pick entered with seven minutes to play in the first-half, with the Warriors immediately going on a 13-4 run to tie the game. Baldwin played his role in that, knocking down two of his three attempts from deep and snatching three rebounds.

Further foul trouble for Kuminga gave Baldwin another opportunity in the second-half. He made a crucial late steal in the final minute of the third-quarter before taking the ball the length of the floor for a dunk. He then hit another three to open the fourth, proving a catalyst for Golden State’s come from behind win.

It wasn’t Baldwin’s career-high in points — he knocked down five threes and had 17 points in last week’s blowout loss to the Brooklyn Nets. But in terms of playing meaningful and important minutes in a close game, this was easily his career-best performance as he finished a game-high +13 in plus-minus.

"“I thought Patrick changed the game when he stepped out there and knocked down those threes, especially the one late third or early fourth…For Patrick to come in and play the way he did, it’s exciting. He’s got a lot of skill and he’s not afraid”, Kerr said in the post-match press conference."

Baldwin’s smooth shooting stroke was on display as he went 3-for-5 from three-point range and 4-for-7 overall. He hasn’t been shy to shoot in his short career to date, and Baldwin revealed after the game that he’d even got encouragement from veteran Draymond Green.

"“It’s been a crazy last four hours and you’ve just got to stay ready…It felt good today (my shot)…It felt good in warmups. When you check in the game and Draymond’s telling you to let it fly, you just let it fly. It’s great confidence.”"

With the Warriors hoping to return to full health over the second-half of the season, the first-round pick may have limited opportunities to showcase his development with the main squad. But at 6’10” and with his shooting prowess, Baldwin certainly has upside that’s intriguing moving forward.