Back to the G-League: Warriors reassign Patrick Baldwin Jr. to Santa Cruz

The Golden State Warriors have reassigned rookie forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. to the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G-League. Despite facing a seemingly must-win game on Monday night against the Houston Rockets, the Dubs are content rolling without their rookie first-round pick.

Baldwin has appeared in 26 games with the Warriors this season, playing just 8.1 minutes per game. In his limited opportunities, Baldwin has averaged 4.4 points and 1.4 rebounds (19.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per 36 minutes) on .400/.390/.667 shooting. While many fans have clamored for Baldwin to receive a more prominent role in the rotation, head coach Steve Kerr has insisted on using Anthony Lamb, who the Warriors recently converted from a two-way contract to a regular NBA deal.

The Warriors drafted Baldwin with the 28th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft out of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Baldwin was a consensus top-10 recruit in the country out of high school but chose to attend the less prestigious UW-M to play for his father. However, Baldwin dealt with a serious ankle injury amidst a struggling program and saw his draft stock plummet.

Set to turn 21 in November, Baldwin has appeared in 17 games with Santa Cruz this season. At the G-League, Baldwin is averaging 12.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 41-for-123 (33.3%) from three.