Patrick Baldwin Jr. has pretty shot, ugly push-up form

Sep 27, 2022 - 8:54 PM

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The Golden State Warriors are getting their first look at first-rounder Patrick Baldwin Junior this week, after his long recovery from a long-term ankle injury. He’s been working closely with assistant coach Ron Adams and looking very good on his catch-and-shoot jumpers. He’s not looking so good when it comes to push-ups.

The form on Baldwin’s shot looks solid. He has a nice high release and his form is quite consistent and repeatable. The shot looks easy, and you’d never guess that PBJ had a serious ankle problem in the past, one that weas exacerbated by playing through it at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

But the push-ups are a different story. It almost looks like Baldwin is trying to do The Worm. His push-up looks less like an exercise, and more like an attempt to mop the gym floor using the front of his own jersey. It doesn’t say “NBA athlete” as much as it says “goldfish out of water panicking for oxygen.”

Look, the Warriors don’t need him to do push-ups. They need him to occasionally come in, stand in the right spot, and knock down 35% of his three-pointers, a respectable, Bjelica-esque showing from deep. But also, maybe he should hit the weight room a little bit too. Kids are watching these practices, PBJ.