Patrick Baldwin Jr. would've been selected some 20 spots higher if the NBA draft took place a year ago. A hugely disappointing freshman campaign at Wisconsin could ultimately work in Baldwin's favor, though, as the Golden State Warriors work to help the 6'9 sharpshooter regain the form that made him a consensus top-five prospect in the High School Class of 2021, right alongside Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith Jr.

After the Warriors plucked Baldwin with the No. 28 pick on Thursday night, general manager Bob Myers was asked why the 19-year-old struggled so much during his one-and-done season in the Horizon League.

“I don't know. We'll see. Injuries, maybe?” Myers replied. “Sometimes guys come in, don't have the type of season they want. We talked to him, we asked him the same question. He said he committed late, and he said he got there and wasn't as acclimated as he wanted to be. Tried to fit in with his dad being the coach. In hindsight, maybe he thought he should've been more aggressive, and then when he got injured he never really got back at it. He said he didn't have any regrets, but he certainly thinks he could've had a better season, and we believe that too or we wouldn't have drafted him.”

Billed as an elite shooter for his size in the early stages of his prep career, Baldwin graduated high school in Sussex, WI as one of the most decorated players in the country. The widespread expectation was he'd dominate mid-major competition while playing under his dad at Wisconsin, fulfilling his destiny as a projected top-10 pick.

Instead, Baldwin shot a ghastly 34.4% from the field and 26.6% on triples. Most of his shots were tightly contested as Wisconsin's top offensive option and most talented player, but Baldwin's 74.3% free throw shooting didn't align with his reputation as a true marksman, either. He played just 11 games in 2021-22, limited by nagging ankle pain that began bothering him during his senior season at Hamilton High School.

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Still, it's clear from both an individual and team perspective why Golden State largely ignored all that to make him a surprise first-round.

“Size, mostly. Skill, IQ,” Myers said when asked what the Warriors “love” about Baldwin's game. “We watched some film with him, you can tell he's a coach's son. Our system requires some pretty high-level thinking. He's versatile, we think he can play with some of our guys. He's what you might call a shooting big in some capacity, but he can also pass. He handled a little bit in college. Just checks a lot of boxes, but he's gonna have to put it together. He hasn't yet. He was a top-10 recruit out of high school. Now he's in the NBA, so he's gonna have to get up to speed. We invested a lot in our player development, and we believe that we can take talent and hopefully cultivate it, and we think he's one of those guys.”

Baldwin has the rare blend of length and natural shooting touch to put a wasted freshman season behind him. All-around athletic deficiencies will keep him from ever living up to his pre-college billing, but there isn't a team better positioned than Golden State to help Baldwin maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses.

The Warriors, clearly, are excited about the prospect of doing it.