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In his first game in a Detroit Pistons uniform since being traded by the Golden State Warriors, James Wiseman looked comfortable and, afterward, sounded confident.
“It’s just different names,” Wiseman told The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III when asked about the new plays he has to remember. “Same offenses, but just different names. I was out there hesitant, trying to figure out what to do. I’m going to get it.”
Wiseman, the Warriors’ No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, scored 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting and grabbed 5 rebounds in 23 minutes in the Pistons’ 127-109 loss to the Boston Celtics on February 15.
Despite piecing together a solid debut, Wiseman didn’t seem satisfied with his defensive performance.
“I could do better,” he said. “My wind got to me a little bit. I’m going to do way better when I get my conditioning up.”
Wiseman will have plenty of time to catch his breath as he and the Pistons roll into the All-Star break. His next chance to show out will be on February 23, when Detroit takes on the Orlando Magic.
Steve Kerr Details Emotions After James Wiseman’s Warriors Exit
In 60 games for the Warriors over a season and a half, Wiseman averaged only 18.3 minutes a game, but doesn’t mean that head coach Steve Kerr wasn’t sorry to see him go.
“It’s hard on a personal level, because of our affection for James, and the talent level. I was all-in on taking James when we did, I was part of the group, and loved the ability, loved everything we saw,” Kerr told reporters at a February 13 press conference. “You can’t always foresee the circumstances. At the time we had the worst record in the league, Klay had just torn his Achilles. We didn’t really know where we were as a team. Frankly, we didn’t know we would win a championship just a year and a half later. I think the important thing … is in this league, and in all sports, you have to move forward. You can’t look back. You have to move forward and make whatever moves that are necessary to allow you to succeed in the present state of the team and going forward.”
Stephen Curry Discusses James Wiseman’s Trade From Warriors
Kerr wasn’t the only one who had great things to say about Wiseman after the trade. Warriors star Stephen Curry shared some praise for his former teammate, saying that he’ll be rooting for him down the line.
“We all love James, like that’s the biggest thing,” Curry told reporters after the Warriors’ 135-126 win over the Washington Wizards on February 13. “It’s a guy you root for. It’s a guy that you know will be able to figure it out. It’s a guy that approaches each part of his job the right way, has a great attitude considering everything he’s been through and the expectations around him and the conversations around him. A lot of confidence that he’ll be around this league a long time. I don’t know what his ceiling is, [but] it’s a guy I want to see figure it out and have an opportunity.”
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