Getty/Justin Ford James Wiseman of the Golden State Warriors is all smiles before a game against the Memphis Grizzles at FedExForum in Memphis.
The biggest tease this season for Warrior fans has been the ongoing quandary of James Wiseman’s return. Back in July 2021, Steve Kerr told Anthony Slater of the Athletic that Wiseman was on schedule to return for the start of training camp.
Obviously, that was delayed, and Wiseman quietly underwent an arthroscopic procedure in December. Since then, Wiseman’s rehab details have been murky and even the medical staff could not provide a clear timetable for his return. It got so unclear, that even Kerr was exasperated and commented that he was becoming ‘the boy who cried wolf’, with how often he’s had to backtrack with certain timetables he gave to Wiseman.
The past month has seen the most significant progress of Wiseman’s rehab, as he has been taking part in 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 contact practices. Shams Charania of the Athletic reports that the big man is expected to play in two games for the Santa Cruz Warriors, starting Thursday, March 10.
Warriors say James Wiseman has been cleared to play in two Santa Cruz NBA G League games Thursday and Sunday as part of return process.
“He’s been scrimmaging with the team here the last few weeks, and the next logical step is live action in the G-League,” Kerr tells reporters before March 8’s game against the Clippers. “I don’t know of any other option, other than to put him into one of our games. We feel like it makes a lot more sense for him to get some action and play a lot, more rhythm and conditioning before he comes play for us.”
The participation in upcoming G-League games aligns with what Warriors general manager Bob Myers told 95.7 The Game in a March 1 appearance.
“But the idea would be to get him at least maybe a game in Santa Cruz and then, hopefully, get him some time with our team and let Steve decide how he wants to use him.”
Wiseman’s Return to Golden State Rotation Around the Corner
It does make sense to see Wiseman get more in game reps in, before he returns to a Warriors rotation that is focused on playing winning basketball as they get closer to the postseason. Kerr was vague on exactly how long Wiseman planned to play with the G-League affiliate.
“Just committing for the first few games, and we’ll go from there.”
However, Anthony Slater of the Athletic was told from sources that once Wiseman was able to suit up for the G-League, he essentially should be ready for the NBA.
Big news from the Warriors: James Wiseman will play for the Santa Cruz Warriors on Thursday and Sunday this week. I’ve previously been told that once he’s physically cleared for G-League, he’s cleared for NBA action, whenever team seems him ready.
It would not be surprising if Wiseman returns to the Warriors within the next week. Possibly joining teammate Draymond Green in returns the Dubs desperately need.
Wiseman’s Impact for Rest of Season Remains in Question
Even though his return presents optimism for the organization and fans, not many know exactly how the second overall pick can impact the team for the rest of this season. The optimal scenario would be for Wiseman to backup Kevon Looney and give the Warriors much needed front court size to battle star bigs like Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns, and DeAndre Ayton.
However, Kendra Andrews of ESPN wrote last week that it did not look promising that Wiseman would be a big impact for the team the remainder of this season.
Still, one Warriors coach told ESPN that it’s highly unlikely that Wiseman will be a big part of the Warriors’ rotation, particularly in the playoffs. They want to plug him into specific situations but don’t believe he’ll be ready to take on the brunt of the work down low right away. Instead, they want him to get ready to be an integral part of the team next season.
All this may sound gloom, but just having Wiseman there as an option to make adjustments with bigger lineups will give the Warriors another dimension they have lacked all season long.