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After a season where personal setbacks and disappointment mixed with some big team accomplishments, Golden State Warriors big man James Wiseman is getting some encouragement from a veteran teammate.
Wiseman’s sophomore NBA season was lost to a knee rehab that stretched months longer than expected, forcing him to watch from the bench as his team defeated the Boston Celtics to earn their fourth title in the last eight seasons. As he prepares for next year, Wiseman is getting some help from teammate Draymond Green to stay focused and motivated.
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Green’s Advice to Wiseman
Though he was never able to take the court during the team’s playoff run, Wiseman enjoyed watching as his teammates marched through the Western Conference and then dispatched the Celtics in six games. Green gave Wiseman some motivation for how the experience can be even better next season.
“Draymond told me, though, it’s good to watch, but you have to experience it,” Wiseman said in an appearance on the “Dubs Talk” podcast.
It has been a long road for Wiseman, who suffered a torn meniscus in his knee in April 2021 and then suffered a series of setbacks that pushed his return date further into his second season. The Warriors announced on March 25 that Wiseman was shut down for the season.
Wiseman said he tried to make the most of the 15 months he spent off the court between his knee injury near the end of his rookie season and his return in the recently completed Summer League.
“Me being out there and me playing with the team this summer league and just being out there and playing again, and just experiencing how everything is going, I learned a lot more because I’ve already watched it,” Wiseman said. “Now just playing, and actually playing it out in physical form … I’m learning so much more stuff.”
Warriors Hope for Big Things From Wiseman
Though Wiseman flashed some strong play through the 39 games he played in his rookie season and again in Summer Leauge, the Warriors are still waiting to see the full potential of the player drafted No. 2 overall in 2020. As Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area noted, Wiseman was seen as the final puzzle piece for a team with an otherwise stellar roster that was missing only a dominant big man.
There is still high hope that Wiseman will become that player. Head coach Steve Kerr said after the season ended that Wiseman just needs more time on the court with his teammates.
“Going forward, with his talent, with his size and athleticism, there’s no reason why he can’t be a dominant defensive player in the league,” Kerr said on June 22, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “But it takes a lot of reps. It takes a lot of recognition.
“It takes a lot of being on the court with nine other people, not just being in a one-on-one workout or in the weight room.”
Wiseman showed during the team’s four games in Las Vegas that he’s back on track, averaging 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in under 20 minutes per game. The 21-year-old center also flashed his athleticism, showing that the long rehab for his knee injury had paid off.
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