After waking up Wednesday night, Golden State Warriors rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr. capped the day with a career-best performance in the team’s 112-107 victory over the Utah Jazz.
20 year old ‘changed the game’ According to head coach Steve KerrBaldwin scored 11 points in 13 crucial minutes as the unmanned Warriors rallied to overwhelm the Jazz in the 4th quarter and secure another crucial win.
After training in Santa Cruz earlier in the day, Patrick Baldwin Jr. played a key role in the Golden State Warriors’ victory over the Utah Jazz at the Chase Center on Wednesday.
Baldwin and fellow rookie Ryan Rollins trained in Santa Cruz on Wednesday afternoon, but weren’t expected to join Golden State later that night. was listed as having problems with the game, the Warriors rushed their youngster back to the Chase Center, where the pair arrived just an hour before game time.
Still, Baldwin only got his chance thanks to Jonathan Cuminga’s foul trouble in his second year. Overall he was the 28th pick to enter with his seven minutes left in the first half and the Warriors quickly tied on his 13-4 run. Baldwin played the part, he knocked down two of his three attempts from the Deep and grabbed three rebounds.
Further foul trouble from Kuminga gave Baldwin a second-half chance. He made his key late steal in his final minute of the third quarter, taking the ball floor-full for a dunk. He then hit another 3 to open his fourth, proving the catalyst for Golden to his State’s come-from-behind victory.
That wasn’t Baldwin’s career high — he knocked down five 3s and scored 17 in last week’s crushing loss against the Brooklyn Nets. However, it was his career-best performance in that he played meaningful and important minutes in a close game, posting a game-best +13 plus or minus.
“I thought Patrick changed the game when he got out there and knocked down those threes, especially the second third or the first quarter. He’s got a lot of skill and he’s not afraid,” Kerr said at the post-match press conference.
Baldwin’s smooth shooting strokes were 3-5 from three-point range and 4-7 overall. He has never hesitated to shoot in his short career so far, and Baldwin revealed after the game that he even received encouragement from veteran Draymond Green.
“The last four hours were crazy and you have to be ready… I felt good today (my shot)… I felt good in the warm up. When I tell you to fly, you just fly.
With the Warriors hoping to return to full health later in the season, the first-round pick may have limited opportunities to showcase his progress on the main team. , with his shooting ability, Baldwin certainly has an advantage, which is interesting moving forward.