Getty Golden State Warriors big man James Wiseman looks on ahead of a game against the Sacramento Kings.
When the Golden State Warriors selected James Wiseman with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, there was real hope that the club had netted its next franchise cornerstone. After nearly two years in a Dubs uniform, though, he has offered little evidence that he can actually get there.
The 21-year-old’s rookie campaign was limited to 39 games due to a torn right meniscus. There was hope for a return at various points during the 2021-22 campaign but, in the end, it proved to be a lost year for Wiseman.
Concern about his playing status abounded as February’s trade deadline approached. Some were even calling for the Warriors to deal the youngster for another seven-footer who was more of a known quantity; someone who could actually play in a game.
Despite the team’s lack of another true center, though, no such move was made. And a league executive tells Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney that the club’s front office didn’t consider making one, either.
Warriors Brass Dug in on Wiseman
When asked about Golden State’s perceived reluctance to part with Wiseman, the league exec indicated that the team’s ownership is all-in on Wiseman.
“It comes down to stubbornness. They were not shopping him, they were not taking offers on him, if you called they shut it down,” the exec said.
More than anything, Warriors decision-makers were apparently intent on justifying their selection of Wiseman — who only appeared in three games as a collegiate at Memphis — over eventual Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball.
“My understanding is the ownership group wanted Wiseman over LaMelo and they wanted to get him back on the floor to show they made the right pick. So there was never really any back-and-forth on what his value might be.”
Despite the fact that the Warriors have struggled at times against traditional big men in 2021-22, including current playoff opponent Nikola Jokic, the belief is that they would still prefer to give the oft-injured Wiseman a real chance to prove himself.
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MVP Candidate Provides Hope for Wiseman
Where his basic stats are concerned, Wiseman had a respectable rookie year for the Warriors in 2020-21, averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per outing. He also connected on 51.9% of his shot attempts overall and 31.6% from behind the arc.
However, he posted an ugly negative net rating of minus-8.8, too. And his injury problems over the last year have some comparing him to legendary draft bust Greg Oden. That said, he wouldn’t be the first high-profile pivot to rebound and actually meet his massive expectations.
For his part, Joel Embiid has turned himself into a perennial MVP candidate after spending two solid years on the Sixers bench due to a broken navicular bone in his foot, an injury that required multiple surgeries.
Whether Wiseman has the same kind of ceiling that Embiid did is hard to say. For his part, Warriors chairman Joe Lacob seems to think so. He once confessed that the youngster was “No. 1 forever” on his draft board and referred to him as a “once-in-a-decade kind of guy.”
In any case, Embiid’s journey from perpetual injury to superstar status in Philly as a seven-foot, near 300-pounder offers hope the Lacob and Co. may just be right in giving Wiseman his best shot.
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