The day may finally be here for Golden State Warrior fans.
Although Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody have drawn much of the attention during summer league, another familiar face may soon follow.
The former second overall pick, James Wiseman, will finally return to game action, on July 10, at Summer League against the San Antonio Spurs.
“I cannot wait to go out there and just play the game of basketball again,” Wiseman said July 8 before the Warriors first game in Summer League. “I’ve been through a lot of tough times but I cannot wait to just go out there and play.”
In two seasons, Wiseman has only played in 39 total NBA games. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes during his rookie season. The Dubs envisioned him to be the enforcer around the paint. With Draymond Green aging, Golden State chose the traditional big man in hopes of fixing their undersized problem.
Kevon Looney recently resigned with the Warriors for three-years, $25.5 million. That was a discount, given how Looney matched up well as a center and stabilized their interior during the playoffs. Owner Joe Lacob talked about what a priority it was for his team to retain Looney.
Looney was vital for the Warriors to keep, because of the uncertainty of Wiseman’s injuries. Big men have been more prone to injury issues, so it was important for Bob Myers and the front office to do their due diligence and keep Looney.
Plan All Along Was for Wiseman to Play in Summer League
Wiseman sat out the entire California Classic tournament, but all along he was training behind the scenes gearing up towards a return in Las Vegas.
“James was able to do that, looked really good,” Warriors California Classic coach Seth Cooper said to reporters on July 4. “For James, that was a pretty live day. I was on the court for some of that, but everything I heard was that that went really well and he looked really good.”
Just yesterday, Warriors summer league coach Jama Mahlaela spoke to 95.7 The Game’s Willard & Dibs about Wiseman’s status.
“I think he’s not gonna play the first game of Summer League, we all know that,” Mahlalela says. “But he’s trending well to play after that. I’m not sure if it’ll be Game 2 or Game 3, but the guy’s really put his head down and his body’s doing really great. So we’ll see. In the coming days, he’ll definitely get out on the court. We’re so excited for it.”
There have been no updates as to how many minutes the big man is expected to play, but fans will just be happy he’s back playing basketball finally.
It Has Been a Long Process for James Wiseman
The prized big man is a huge part of the Dubs’ plan to compete in the future. A knee meniscus tear during the 2020-21 season sidelined Wiseman through this entire time and has been a nightmare for him to go through.
Wiseman was originally slated to return during training camp of last season, but the injured knee kept flaring up, delaying Wiseman any opportunity to get back onto the court this past season. At one point, Wiseman was targeting a return late in the regular season, but that same knee reacted poorly to it and was ruled out for the season.
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Warriors’ James Wiseman Takes Big Step Towards Anticipated Return