Getty James Wiseman #33 of the Golden State Warriors goes up for a dunk on LeBron James #6 and Wenyen Gabriel #35 of the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center on October 18, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors have recalled James Wiseman from the G League and the big man says this time, things are going to be different.
Wiseman officially returned to the team on Tuesday, December 6, ahead of a road contest against the Utah Jazz. His seven-game stint with Golden State’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz was presumably a humbling experience for a third-year player who was drafted No. 2 overall in 2020, though Wiseman’s attitude about his time there showed a maturity beyond his 21 years.
“I’m focusing on improving in the small areas, just 1% better each day,” Wiseman said, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “Setting screens, getting to the dunker spot, protecting the rim more. I’m getting better at that … I feel like I’m getting my rhythm back and my confidence back.”
Wiseman described his time in Santa Cruz as something akin to a spiritual experience, getting back on the floor for long stretches to play the game he loves.
“[The G League] was fun,” Wiseman said. “I’m a hooper. I got to play 25, 28 minutes. That was love right there. I was going out there, working hard, just trying to get better. Had so much fun out there. Probably too much fun.”
Wiseman averaged 15.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and a little more than one block per game across nearly 27 nightly minutes in his seven G League appearances.
The center played five minutes against Utah on Wednesday night in his return to the Golden State sideline. He shot 1-of-2 from the field, scoring three points and grabbing two rebounds. The Warriors lost to the Jazz by a score of 124-123, falling to 13-13 on the season.
Wiseman’s G League Run Offered Insight on NBA Career With Dubs
GettyCenter James Wiseman of the Golden State Warriors is back with the team after a stint in the G League.
Not much has gone Wiseman’s way since he entered the NBA a little less than three years ago. A knee injury robbed him of the second half of his rookie season and all of his sophomore campaign.
The center had played in just 11 regular season games this year before Wednesday night in Utah, in which he saw a minutes reduction from 21.4 per game down to 13.4 per game, according to Basketball Reference. He was also relegated from a part-time starter to a full-time bench player.
Despite his reduction in court time and usage with the Warriors this season, Wiseman said his time in the G League has made him all the more thankful for the opportunity he has — to hoop with legendary players on a championship-defending team and get paid handsomely to do so.
“I’m so much more grateful, more appreciative of this moment now to be able to be back up here,” Wiseman said. “Also, being in a small hotel room the last two weeks not doing nothing, I’m just grateful to be back up here in a big-a** hotel again, be in a great bed again.”
Steve Kerr Non-Committal on How Warriors Will Use Wiseman Moving Forward
GettyGolden State Warriors center James Wiseman (left) speaks with head coach Steve Kerr (right) during a 2021 game against the Indiana Pacers.
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr has been cagey about how he will deploy Wiseman now that the center is back on the team. Clearly, the initial strategy is to slowly work him back into the rotation, which was clear by the five minutes Wiseman played against the Jazz.
The Warriors have struggled this season, particularly on the road, though they had recently strung together a 7-3 stretch to climb back over .500 before losing consecutive games to the Indiana Pacers and the Jazz.
Kerr told Andrews that he doesn’t want to impact the team’s chemistry by shifting the rotation drastically, though adjustments throughout the year are common for every team. Translated that means at some point this season, Wiseman is likely to get a shot to work his way back to a prominent status somewhere in the Warriors’ lineup.