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Opening the 2020-21 NBA season the Golden State Warriors were very high on their #2 overall draft pick from the 2020 NBA Draft, James Wiseman. At the University of Memphis, Wiseman only played in three games before being forced out the remainder of the collegiate season.
Coming into the NBA, it was expected that Wiseman would need time to develop. Without a training camp, due to contracting coronavirus, Wiseman began the season with a bang scoring 19 points and scoring 6 rebounds in the Warriors season opener against the Brooklyn Nets.
Yet for as many ups Wiseman has this year he also had his fair share of downs. Early foul trouble in multiple games and nagging injuries plagued Wiseman throughout his rookie season. So much so that after his latest injury he’s now going to miss the remainder of the year.
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Kerr Discusses Warriors’ Feelings On Wiseman’s Injury
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Even with that being the case, the Warriors understand how incredibly frustrating it could be for someone so talented to have repeated setbacks. They don’t need to look any further than their All-Star guard and two-time MVP Steph Curry who early in his career had his own injury mishaps.
Recently, Golden State’s head coach Steve Kerr commented on Wiseman’s current status and what his future with the team can be.
“He is so promising and so gifted, and we’re devastated for him with this injury,” Kerr said Friday via NBC Sports Bay Area. “It’s such a shame. He’s had such a rough go between missing training camp, and then the wrist injury and now this.”
“But he’s a really promising talent and a great young guy.”
The wrist injury Kerr spoke of had Wiseman out for almost a month. It was a stretch in which the Warriors were without a center and without another power forward over 6-foot-6.
However, this is just par of the course for how the Warriors season has gone. Even with the lows that this season has brought, like their 53-point drubbing from the Toronto Raptors, they still very much believe that Wiseman is their centerpiece moving forward.
With how skilled the rookie is and the flashes he’s shown this season the Warriors are in it for the long haul and believe in time he will worth the wait.
“Big guys take longer to develop than guards — it’s just a fact,” Kerr said. “So 100 percent when we picked him, it was, ‘This guy is really talented and he’s a great kid.’ However long it takes, he’s gonna be well worth the pick.
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Kerr States What Warriors Love About Wiseman
GettyWarriors Head Coach Steve Kerr discussed the future of rookie James Wiseman with the team on Friday, April 16.
That wasn’t all that Kerr said either. Knowing very well that this could be a low point for their young rookie the head coach opened up about what the Warriors appreciate about Wiseman.
“That’s [Bob Myers’] job. In this business, you never know how it’s gonna play out,” Kerr stated. “But what you value is good young talent. And James is a really, really promising young talent. And we love him on a personal level with his work ethic and his maturity.”
Hopefully, with a full offseason to recover and train within the organization, Wiseman will begin to look even better going into next season.
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