Where you go, matters.
Before he played a single minute of college basketball, Sussex Hamilton standout Patrick Baldwin Junior was being projected as an NBA Draft lottery pick.
All the big dogs of college basketball wanted Baldwin, who chose to stay home and play for his Father at Milwaukee.
Injuries derailed Baldwin’s senior season in high school and freshman year in college. He went from being a lottery lock to a first-round question mark.
Fortunately for Baldwin, he was drafted by the World Champion Golden State Warriors with the 28th pick.
There will be zero pressure on the 6’10” Baldwin to perform for a franchise that has won four NBA titles in six seasons.
In addition, no team in the NBA is better at player development than the Warriors. Milwaukee products Kevon Looney and Jordan Poole can attest.
Poole was the 28th pick of the Warriors in 2019. Poole averaged 8.8 points per game as a rookie, 18.5 points last season, and scored 30, 29 and 27 in consecutive playoff games.
Baldwin still has plenty to prove. There are more questions about his ceiling than answers.
Where you go, matters and Patrick Baldwin Junior is in the perfect spot.