Patrick Baldwin Jr. is less than a year removed from being a potential top-five NBA draft pick. As he prepares for his rookie campaign with the Golden State Warriors after a disappointing one-season stop at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, though, Baldwin finds himself absent that blue-chip prospect luster.

Just don't associate the late first-round pick's rapid fall from grace with a personal reappraisal of his ultimate future. Baldwin still has ambitions of becoming the type of big, tall shot-maker who seemed destined for stardom during his decorated prep career.

“I like to watch [Kevin Durant], I like to watch Khris Middleton, I like to watch [Jayson Tatum]. I'm watching Otto Porter Jr., Michael Porter Jr. — guys that I think have roles that I can fill some day,” he told Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area on the latest edition of Dubs Talk. “It's just important to be multifaceted and learn from everybody.”

Possessing an extremely rare blend of length and shooting ability proven time and again on the elite summer circuit and with USA Basketball, the expectation coming into last season was Baldwin would dominate mid-major competition while playing under his dad at Milwaukee. Instead, he shot an ugly 34.4% from the field and 26.6% on triples, beset by nagging effects of a previous ankle injury.

Baldwin struggled to create separation in isolation and shooting off screens, also getting exploited defensively against Horizon League foes. His underwhelming explosiveness was further confirmed at the NBA combine, when he tested as one of the worst athletes in Chicago.

But scouts believe Baldwin's jumper is pure, and he'll obviously play a much different role with Golden State than the Panthers. It wouldn't be shocking if he eventually becomes one of the most dangerous off-ball shooters in the league, taking full advantage of mass attention paid to Stephen Curry and other facets of the Warriors' unique offense that get defenses scrambling.

What could most decide Baldwin's NBA trajectory, though, is how he holds up defensively. He has prototype size for a power forward at 6'9, 220 pounds with long arms and high shoulders, but lacks quick-twitch athleticism that could make him a viable switch defender or disruptive weak-side helper. Perhaps a clean bill of health entering 2022-23 mitigates those weaknesses.

Either way, Baldwin seems ready to play whatever role the Warriors ask of him both this season and going forward, with a hopeful eye toward long-term stardom.

“I think baseline, I have a lot of skills that I need to tap into,” Baldwin said. “But once I figure out the speed of the game, the pace of the game, defensive concepts, offensive concepts…I think that's when I'm gonna start to take off.”

[Dalton Johnson, NBC Sports Bay Area]