Washington Wizards: What to expect from Patrick Baldwin Jr next season

The Washington Wizards officially announced the acquisitions of Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, and Patrick Baldwin Jr. Rollins and Baldwin Jr will join the Wizards in Las Vegas Summer League. For people who may be unfamiliar with Baldwin Jr, let’s get to know him.

PBJ was one of the best high school players in his class. He was a consensus five-star recruit and had offers from the likes of Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Michigan. Instead, he chose to play for his father at Milwaukee.

Baldwin Jr’s senior year of high school and freshman year of college was plagued with injuries. He only played in two games as a high school senior and eleven games in college before declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft.

Baldwin Jr couldn’t get the necessary playing time with the Warriors

The Golden State Warriors took a chance on him with the 28th overall pick. PBJ’s game was conceptually a good fit for the Warriors, but considering that he was a 19-year-old with minimal playing experience, he failed to crack Golden State’s rotation. He ended up playing in 31 regular season, and 3 playoff games for the Warriors.

That is to be expected for a rookie playing on a championship contender. Teams like Golden State don’t have the patience to develop their young players. Hence, Baldwin Jr spent a lot of time playing for Santa Cruz Warriors in G League.

Baldwin Jr needs playing time to develop. He has the building blocks to become a solid NBA player, yet he hasn’t been able to stay healthy and receive consistent minutes. He will finally get that chance in Washington.

The primary skill that is going to help Baldwin Jr stick in the NBA is his shooting. He has good size and length for a forward, staying at 6’9. Combining that with his sweet shooting stroke could make him a dangerous offensive player. He is near unblockable and can get his shot off over any defender. That is a hugely important NBA skill.

PBJ will need to be more consistent with his three-point shooting

However, the shot needs to go in. He had an underwhelming shooting season at Milwaukee, making only 26% of his threes. He was much better with the Warriors last season, making 38% from downtown. He needs to be consistent on that jumper. The versatility of his shot and the high release point are already intriguing. If he starts to make those shots at a reasonable clip, he can be a solid player.

He is certainly not the strongest or the most physical player. He lacks the athleticism to be a real force on the defensive end, almost wasting his impressive frame and wingspan. He will need to get stronger to survive defensively and be a two-way player. However, even if he doesn’t, he could be a bench scorer and floor-spacer. And that is still a valuable player in the NBA.

PBJ doesn’t have another year to waste. He needs to turn his intriguing skill set into productive minutes. He is going to need to show some flashes in the Summer League to earn rotation minutes this season. In those minutes, he will have to knock down some shots. If he performs adequately, there is a role for him in Washington, especially considering the lack of frontcourt depth.

Let’s hope Baldwin Jr is up for it.