Naturally, the best way for the Duke basketball coaches to prevent a shooting shortage is to capitalize on a perceived advantage in their pursuit of the prospect with the silkiest stroke.
Hamilton High School (Wis.) junior forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. — a.k.a., the youngest player to ever receive an offer from Mike Krzyzewski — pointed out to the Lexington Herald-Leader’s Ben Roberts this week that the Duke basketball allure glows at the mere mention of the game’s top active legend:
"“Any time you bring up Coach K, eyes light up. Nothing but great things to say about him.”"
Baldwin Jr., who ranks No. 2 on the 247Sports 2021 Composite and now appears on some sites as 6-foot-10 and 205 pounds, went on to explain to Roberts that he notices and appreciates the personalized attention from all of Duke’s recruiting whizzes:
"“The Duke staff as a whole is just a great staff. I’ve built a really good relationship with them over the years. They offered me early, so they’ve had a long time to build a relationship with me.”"
However, as has so often been the case this decade, five-star praises for the Duke basketball staff come with similar kind words regarding the recruiting powerhouse from Kentucky.
"“You just see all the players that go through the [Kentucky] program and improve day by day,” Baldwin Jr. said to Roberts. “And then they get to achieve the goal of the NBA. Coach [John] Calipari — that whole staff — is somebody that I really think highly of. And when I talked with them when they came to visit my school, he just blew me away by his professionalism and everything that he had to say about his program…“They will definitely be at the top of the list.”"
The top of the list of comparisons Baldwin Jr. now draws — namely, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson and the No. 2 player from the 247Sports 2017 Composite, current Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. — is emblematic of the primary reason blue-bloods are drooling over the namesake of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s head coach.
"“I agree with those comparisons,” Baldwin Jr. recently told USA Today’s Jason Jordan. “It’s an honor to be compared to them in the first place. I think I’m more Klay Thompson right now, but I feel like I’m developing more into a Michael Porter type, so I guess I’m a mixture of both.”"
In terms of Duke basketball comparisons for Baldwin Jr., there really are no fitting ones. Therefore, the following concoction will have to suffice: a sprinkling of the shooting stroke of J.J. Redick plus a dash of slithering moves from Mike Dunleavy Jr. and a hint of gracefulness à la Grant Hill.
ALSO READ: The 100 greatest Blue Devils under Coach K
Across 12 Nike EYBL games leading up to Peach Jam this year — playing alongside 2020 Duke basketball commits Jalen Johnson and Jaemyn Brakefield — Baldwin Jr. connected on 30 of his 75 attempts (40.0 percent) from beyond the international 3-point line. The 16-year-old also hit 23 of his 27 free throws (85.2 percent) on his way to averaging 17.4 points and 4.8 rebounds.
ALSO READ: Bonus recruiter to attend Countdown to Craziness
Rivals’ Corey Evans offered Roberts his attempt at summing up Baldwin Jr.’s strongest assets and quickly disappearing weaknesses:
"“He fits today’s game to a T, right? He’s a 6-9, 6-10 combo forward that can shoot the heck out of the ball. And today’s game is so reliant on making shots. He’s getting more athletic. He’s getting bigger. He’s getting stronger. He’s tough. His dad is the head coach at Milwaukee, so you know he has an IQ for the game.“When you’re talking about safe prospects — guys that are going to make it — I’m going to bet on him.”"
Despite Baldwin Jr. assuring Roberts that there are no safe bets in his recruitment at the moment — he expressed no immediate plans to take official visits and no rush to choose a college — the 247Sports Crystal Ball shows the Blue Devils as the unanimous frontrunners. In addition to one pick from a Kentucky recruiting expert, the 5-0 lead over the competition consists of two picks apiece from Duke and Wisconsin insiders.
The rest of the 2021 Duke basketball offer sheet includes only five-stars: small forward AJ Griffin, small forward Jonathan Kuminga, power forward Paolo Banchero, and shooting guard Max Christie.
ALSO READ: Blue Devils losing ground for No. 1 recruit
Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more Duke basketball recruiting updates, opinions, analyses, and occasional predictions.