Premier recruit: Duke basketball rookie to have ‘huge impact’ on decision

A Duke basketball newbie may be a critical recruiting tool for the program.

Early offer? Earliest ever from Mike Krzyzewski. Visit? Same weekend as a Duke basketball home win. Finalist? Even better: the consensus favorite among the 10. Priority level? Off the charts.

Yes, Hamilton (Wis.) small forward Patrick Baldwin Jr. is key to Krzyzewski and his staff landing an eighth straight top-three class. Plus, the 6-foot-10, 205-pound five-star could lock up the return of the “Sharpshooter U” title to Durham — at least for one season anyway.

At No. 2 on the 247Sports 2021 Composite, the 17-year-old is in line to take over the top spot once sites update The Patrick School (N.J.) small forward Jonathan Kuminga’s early graduation. The other schools still chasing Baldwin Jr. are Georgetown, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Northwestern, UCLA, Virginia, Wisconsin, and UW-Milwaukee (where his namesake is head coach).

ALSO READ: Top-ranked Duke target set to announce

This week, Evan Kolin of The Chronicle asked Baldwin Jr. about his thoughts on fellow Wisconsin native Jalen Johnson, who ranks No. 12 in the 2020 class and looks to be the centerpiece of the 2020-21 Blue Devils. Apparently, months from now, what the elder small forward says — the pair forged a friendship as AAU teammates — will weigh heavily on the younger’s choice:

“Yeah, I mean, [Johnson’s] experience is going to have a huge impact on my decision, just kind of hearing what he has to say about actually being in the program. So I know he’s said great things before he’s gotten there, and just seeing what he’ll say when he’s in the program, how he’s liking school, how he’s liking campus, how he’s liking the people that are there, how he likes his teammates…”

Baldwin Jr. then summarized Johnson’s potential influence:

“So just him being in my ear and having a first-hand experience from him will be very key to me. Because obviously, I take his opinions very seriously.”

Like Johnson — who recently lent a helping hand to another Duke basketball recruiting race — Baldwin Jr. is graceful and confident with the ball in his hands. Also, each is a crafty passer, instinctive playmaker, sly defender, and all-around athlete. Unlike Johnson, though, Baldwin Jr. has arguably the most refined outside shot of any present high schooler.

However, both Johnson and Baldwin Jr. share similarities to Duke basketball one-and-done Jayson Tatum, who now stars for the Boston Celtics and came up in the coveted prep’s answers to Kolin:

“I’m actually jumping on the Jayson Tatum bandwagon. I definitely loved him when he was in high school, watching him as a senior in high school in St. Louis, and then watching him at Duke…his skill set is so diverse.”

Is a monumental Duke basketball recruiting win close at hand?

When it comes to picking an announcement date — one that could either make or break Duke’s 2021 haul — Baldwin Jr. told Kolin his plans are now pretty much up in the air:

“Before the pandemic, there was definitely the timeline of committing before my senior year…my senior season at least. But I think the pandemic’s kind of pushing my timeline back a little bit…But when I think I have the school in mind, I’ll have no problem pulling the trigger and just committing…”

What Baldwin Jr. said next sure seems to describe Duke, at least more so than any of the other remaining suitors. And the totality of the words could even come across as a hint at a commitment on the horizon (but maybe not before more feedback from Johnson):

“Because if, at the end of the day, I feel like that’s a great fit for me, and I feel like they’ve done a great job recruiting, and I feel like that’s a good spot for me, and my family agrees and it’s a great education for me, I’ll have no problem pulling the trigger and committing.”

Archbishop Stepinac (N.Y.) five-star small forward AJ Griffin is Duke’s lone commit from Patrick Baldwin Jr.’s class. All four of the others holding offers from Coach K & Co. are also five-stars: Sunrise Christian (Kan.) point guard Kennedy Chandler, Paul VI Catholic (Va.) shooting guard Trevor Keels, O’Dea (Wash.) power forward Paolo Banchero, and IMG Academy (Fla.) center Charles Bediako.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more on Patrick Baldwin Jr. plus other Duke basketball recruiting news and views.