Patrick Baldwin Jr. flashes surprising defensive prowess against LeBron James, hinting at a massive upside Kings coaches may unlock.
The Sacramento Kings decided to offer a chance for two former first-round draft picks to prove why they deserve to remain in the NBA to kick off the back third of their 2025-26 season.
Ex-Detroit Pistons draft selection Killian Hayes and ex-Golden State Warriors pick Patrick Baldwin Jr. received 10-day contracts from Sacramento on Feb. 23 and Feb. 22, respectively.
Neither of the former highly-touted prospects have set the world on fire through their first few appearances with the team, but the latter of the pair might have done enough to warrant a closer look over the next few weeks.
At just 23 years old, Baldwin Jr.'s physical makeup was already a massive reason to take a flier on the former No. 28 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. The 7-foot, 220-pound small forward presents some intriguing possibilities as a natural matchup nightmare for smaller wings as a scoring threat.
However, his immense defensive potential happened to shine through for the Kings during their blowout 128-104 defeat against Luka Dončić, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.
Baldwin Jr. only took the floor for 11 minutes, but several successful one-on-one defensive possessions against James became one of the highlights of the first half for Sacramento.
He'd force the 22-time All-Star to miss a heavily contested fade-away jumper as the first quarter buzzer sounded, and partially block another shot of his right underneath the rim to start the second frame.
In a relatively short shift, Baldwin Jr. had made his mark by finishing with three points, six rebounds, three blocks, one steal and one assist.
His wonderful performance in limited minutes made for an impressive first impression to Kings fans potentially watching him play for the first time, and head coach Doug Christie might have experienced a similar feeling from the sideline against Los Angeles.
The eye test showed that Baldwin Jr.'s physical attributes and instincts were there defensively, but the numbers tell a brand new story.
Though it's part of an extremely limited sample, his unfathomable 95.6 defensive rating in 8.7 minutes this season proves that a foundation exists for the former first-rounder to one day gain a 'disruptor' label on that end of the floor.
He's done enough through the years at the G-League level (17.5 points, 59.9% true shooting percentage in 4-year career) to gain notoriety for his scoring prowess and versatility, but Christie and the Kings' coaching staff might have a real chance at unlocking his full potential defensively and authoring a fantastic reclamation project.
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