Fresh off his best outing of the preseason, Golden State Warriors rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr. earned some praise from veteran teammate Kevon Looney on Tuesday.
The Warriors just returned from Japan after playing two exhibition games against the Washington Wizards. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was expected to use quite a few players throughout the preseason, and Baldwin has had the opportunity to log some minutes so far.
Baldwin produced seven points in eight minutes of work during his debut on Friday. He followed that performance up with 12 points, six rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot in 17 minutes on Sunday. He went 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
Looney has been impressed with his shooting to this point.
Obviously, Patrick can shoot the ball really, really well. That stands out. Usually, rookies come in and that is the one thing they struggle with is their 3-ball but he has been pretty consistent with it early.
Of course, Baldwin played 11 games last season at Milwaukee due to an ankle injury suffered in high school. He was held out of the summer league because of the injury but is fully healthy after a busy offseason in the gym.
During offseason workouts, Baldwin impressed the coaching staff and players around him by demonstrating his high understanding of the game. Despite a limited run in college, that aspect of his game has stood out to Looney.
His feeling for the game is really high. Him being a rookie and not even playing a lot of college games, for him to have that feeling already; he already knows where to be at. He picks up on everything really fast. That’s something you need to be on this team.
He is a high-IQ player. I know Steve loves guys like that. He’ll probably find his way onto the court somehow. It is going to be a lot of work. There is a lot of talent at the position but the way he shoots it and his feel for the game, he is already taking a step in the right direction.
With the Warriors looking to rest some of their veterans throughout the preseason, Baldwin could continue to see playing time over their last three tune-up games. The opportunity will prove to be valuable for him to get adjusted and learn the Warriors’ season.
Golden State returns to play on Sunday versus the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Story originally appeared on Rookie Wire