As the Sacramento Kings lean into the last quarter of the season, they've been making moves. That includes signing Patrick Baldwin Jr. to a two-way contract. With 21 games remaining in the season, Baldwin has a limited window to prove he belongs in the rebuild and that his future is in Sacramento.
Baldwin was originally drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 2022. A first-round pick, the small forward out of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee was selected 28th overall. Getting picked up by a championship team of that pedigree should be a major opportunity for a rookie.
Unfortunately, the Warriors have not been great at developing rookies and young players, particularly in recent years. They tend to lean heavily on their veterans, which has, in turn, led to them losing potential stars like Jonathan Kuminga to other teams instead of building for the future.
One of the players caught up in that cycle was Baldwin. He played primarily with the Warriors' G League affiliate for one season, then started bouncing around both the NBA and the G League. Most recently, he was signed to a two-way contract by the Kings, where he actually has a real opportunity.
Patrick Baldwin Jr. has to seize the moment to succeed in Sacramento
The Kings are still in the early stages of their rebuild process, one that's focused on youth and versatility. At the age of 23, Baldwin still has a lot of room to develop as a player and potentially become a strong rotational member of Sacramento's bench. He just has to take advantage.
Baldwin brings a variety of assets to the table. He's a versatile scorer with a strong basketball IQ who spaces the floor well. On defense, he can take on pretty much any position effectively, as well as being good on the help-side. That's the basketball IQ coming back into play again.
At the same time, years of bouncing from team to team seem to have eaten away at his confidence somewhat. He's only played a few minutes with the Kings so far, but he hasn't really shown what he's capable of. With the season mostly over, he only has a handful of games to do that.
Patrick Baldwin Jr. has the potential to be a part of the Kings' rebuild, but he also has no time to waste. Whatever minutes he gets need to be put to good use by proving himself in every possible way. If he can pull that off, he may have just found himself a home in the NBA.