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James Wiseman wasted little time in making his presence known after 15 months away from the court.
The Golden State Warriors big man made his Summer League debut against the San Antonio Spurs on July 10, his first organized game since suffering a knee injury in April 2021 that wiped out the back end of his rookie season and all of the team’s last season as well. It took only one possession for Wiseman to erase any doubts about whether he still had the athleticism that prompted the Warriors to take him with the No. 2 overall pick in 2020.
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Big Debut for Wiseman
Wiseman got to work quickly against the Spurs. On the team’s first possession, he ran a pick-and-roll with Jonathan Kuminga that ended with Wiseman catching a lob near the rim and slamming it home.
Wiseman had impressive plays on both ends of the court, turning in two blocks and playing strong defense on a number of other possessions.
While Wiseman’s numbers didn’t exactly jump off the stat sheet — he had 11 points on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting with two rebounds and two blocks — he earned praise for his athleticism and polished game after having been away for so long.
“James Wiseman plays 20 minutes in his return. Eleven points on 5/7 FG,” tweeted The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “Jumper looked good. Moved well. Only had two rebounds and committed seven fouls. Mixed bag. Most important for Warriors that he’s on floor again.”
Wiseman seemed to understand the stakes of Sunday’s game.
“I feel like I have a lot to prove,” Wiseman said before the game, via the San Francisco Chronicle.
Patience Pays Off for Warriors
In the months between his initial knee injury and Sunday’s Summer League debut, the Warriors invested a lot into Wiseman. They stuck through what turned out to be a difficult rehab that included a number of setbacks. He was initially projected to return early in the season, but ran into roadblocks and ultimately needed a second surgical procedure in December.
Though some analysts prodded the Warriors to trade Wiseman or to move some of their other young prospects to bring in a more established big man, the team decided against any big moves at the trade deadline and the young players made a number of key contributions throughout the title run.
After the season ended, Warriors general manager Bob Myers again reiterated that the plan was to keep the roster as intact as possible.
“We don’t know what the market will be for our guys,” Myers said, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “We’ll make an effort to keep the team together. It’s a good balance of young, old and in the middle. There isn’t a guy we don’t like. So, we’ll try.”
The Warriors haven’t been able to keep everyone. Big man Otto Porter Jr. chose to sign with the Toronto Raptors, while Nemanja Bjelica decided to leave the NBA and return to his former team in Turkey. The Warriors did re-sign veteran center Kevon Looney, but the departures could clear the way for Wiseman to take on a bigger role next season.
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