Warriors send Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins to G-League training camp

The Golden State Warriors will not have rookies Patrick Baldwin Jr. or Ryan Rollins with the team on Tuesday against the Suns. The Dubs have sent both Baldwin and Rollins to Santa Cruz to participate in training camp with their G-League affiliate. Baldwin and Rollins have made positive early impressions since they were drafted by the Warriors this summer, but still face an uphill battle to crack head coach Steve Kerr’s rotation this season.

Baldwin was a consensus top-five prospect in the 2021 recruiting class and was expected to be a lottery pick in this summer’s draft. However, his freshman season was derailed by injuries, leading his stock to plummet, allowing the Warriors to draft him with the 28th overall pick. This preseason, though, Baldwin has looked healthy, flashing excellent three-point shooting ability alongside improve athleticism.

Unlike Baldwin, Rollins was far from an obvious NBA prospect coming out of high school. However, Rollins emerged as a top contributor at Toledo and proved to be a well-rounded point guard prospect, leading the Dubs to draft him with the 44th pick in the draft.

Rollins dealt with a foot fracture this summer but returned in the preseason. While he did not make as noticeable a first impression as Baldwin, Rollins was expected to be closer to cracking an NBA rotation.

Still, coming off a championship run with plenty of proven talent and recent lottery picks, the Warriors are in no rush to lean on Rollins and Baldwin. The franchise’s G-League team has done an excellent job helping players develop in Santa Cruz over the past few years, and it seems like Rollins and Baldwin are primed for ample opportunities with the Santa Cruz Warriors this season.