Duke basketball: Sizing up 3 legit contenders for Patrick Baldwin Jr.

Sizing up suitors in key Duke basketball recruiting race: Wildcard option

Considering the NBA G League is now trying to lure the most elite high school seniors with one-year contracts exceeding half a million dollars, it would be tough to knock Patrick Baldwin Jr. if he was to surprise folks by choosing that route.

Here’s how Kyle Boone of CBS Sports summarized the growing allure in light of five-star power forward Michael Foster’s decision to cash in last week:

“The NBA G League Ignite program made waves last year when, in its debut season as the high-profile development team for the G League focused on cultivating top young prospects, it swooped in to sign five-stars Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Daishen Nix, and Isaiah Todd.”

Boone continued:

“Now a year older and on the precipice of producing two top-five picks, the program is getting a reset with another star talent in tow as prized recruit Michael Foster signed with Ignite on Friday over Florida State and Georgia, becoming the first player to sign with Ignite in its second season.”

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The 247Sports Crystal Ball for Jaden Hardy, who ranks No. 2 overall in the 2021 class, points to the five-star combo guard soon joining the list.

As for Baldwin’s thought on the G League, he’s all but ruled it out. However, he did say the following in his chat last summer with The Chronicle:

“So you obviously have to take that into consideration because it’s definitely a change in terms of the college landscape. But as of right now, I think I’m 99 percent sure that I’m going to take the college route, just from my dad being a college coach and my parents wanting me to get a college education. So you can’t put a price tag on college education and the college experience.”

Baldwin continued:

“But obviously, you’ve got to see how this pans out, and you’ve got to make the right decision for yourself basketball-wise as well as school-wise and people-wise that you’re going to be around. So in terms of the G League, I’m just going to see how it plays out. But as of right now, I definitely think I’m going to take the college route.”

Which college? We wait…

The perceived probability that Patrick Baldwin Jr. picks a destination outside of Georgetown, Milwaukee, and Duke? One percent.