Getty James Wiseman drives the ball in an NBA game.
The Golden State Warriors had planned for their young big man to study under a Hall of Famer, but a late-season injury could put that at risk.
The team’s general manager opened up this week about the plans to have James Wiseman work out with Kevin Garnett, which was seen as a key part of his development. But Wiseman’s season was cut short by injury, and now he could miss out on the chance to learn from Garnett.
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Plans up in the Air
Warriors general manager Bob Myers opened up this week about the offseason plans for Wiseman, who underwent surgery for a torn knee meniscus in April and missed the rest of the season. Myers had previously spoken about plans to have Wiseman work out with Garnett, but said he’s not sure now if it will take place.
As Myers said, it would be no use to have Wiseman hit the court with the Hall of Famer if he’s not fully healthy.
“We had KG set up prior to the injury. He was coming. We were just gonna figure out when,” Myers said in an appearance on 95.7 The Game’s “The Morning Roast” show, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “The thing now is you don’t want to throw a guy (out there) that’s not 100 percent healthy with KG — or else you’re in trouble (laughs). We got to wait until he’s healthy.”
Myers added that he hoped Wiseman would be back to hit the court with his teammates at training camp.
“Maybe he gets on the court a little bit before then,” he said. “As soon as he can, we’d love to have him with a guy like that for many reasons. KG is pretty unique — on the court and what he brings and the mentality. Exposing James to a guy like that [would be great].”
Steve Kerr on James Wiseman’s rookie season
Warriors Committed to Wiseman
There had been some questions about Wiseman’s future with the Warriors amid an up-and-down season. Though he showed flashes of great play, the rookie center came along slowly in his development, drawing questions about whether the Warriors may look to trade him for a more immediate impact player to take advantage of a short title-contention window with the return of Klay Thompson next season.
Bob Myers on the Warriors’ offseason: Veteran help needed, no plan to trade James Wiseman
Myers addressed those rumors this week, saying the team has no plans to get rid of him and sees Wiseman as having a major role next season.
“I think he can help us. I expect him to be on the team next year,” the Warriors general manager said, via USA Today’s Rookie Wire. “We don’t want to trade James Wiseman. I think he is a tremendous talent. He was put in a position where the guy has, hopefully, taken all of his lumps early in his career. I think he can be very helpful to us in the future and I think he can be helpful in the present. We plan on him being on the team. We are very confident he is going to be a good player and help us win next year.”
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