Barring an NBA championship win in June, Klay Thompson’s grand return to the court is the story of the season for the Golden State Warriors. However, the five-time All-Star isn’t the only Warriors player on the comeback trail. For his part, James Wiseman is looking to make a similar splash.
The former No. 2 overall pick has been fighting for a hardwood return since tearing his right meniscus last April. And after a lengthier-than-expected recovery process — which included a second surgical procedure in December — he finally looks to be nearing his goal.
As revealed by Warriors GM Bob Myers during a February 15 interview on 95.7 FM The Game in San Francisco, Wiseman was just cleared to participate in full, five-on-five scrimmages.
Whether that means playing in actual games is days or weeks away remains to be seen. In any case, Warriors All-Star Andrew Wiggins is amped to see the seven-footer in action once more.
Wiggins Is Feeling the Wiseman Hype
Wiggins joined Grant Liffmann for the latest episode of NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dubs Talk podcast. Although the pair touched on a myriad of topics, the baller was clearly hyped to talk about Wiseman’s return.
In doing so, he made it clear that the 20-year-old’s work ethic and ability to remain focused amid setbacks in his recovery have made an impression. As such, Wiggins is expecting big things from him once he returns.
“Obviously he’s had his ups and downs already in his career with the injury and stuff, but he’s still so young and if you look at him now, he’s a tank, man,” Wiggins said.
“He’s a tank, he’s been working hard, so I feel like when he comes back he’s going to dominate. He has his head on straight, he comes into the facility, to the games with a good attitude, ready to work, ready to get better. The main thing about him is he listens, he wants to get better, he wants to learn. I think the sky is the limit for him also.”
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Wiggins Wowed By Wiseman’s Talent
Liffman asked Wiggins, who is a former No. 1 overall pick in his own right, whether he had seen anything from Wiseman that jumped out as a reason for his high selection coming out of Memphis. In response, the star wing made no bones about the fact that Wiseman has a lot going for him.
“He does stuff that people his size don’t do. His athletic ability, him getting to the rim, his ball-handling, him blocking shots; a lot of the stuff he’s doing is like — wow.”
In 39 games as a rookie last season, including 27 starts, Wiseman put up 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per contest. Along the way, he made 51.9% of his shot attempts overall, 79.4% of those within three feet of the hoop and 31.6% from three-point range.
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Andrew Wiggins Makes Strong Statement on Injured Warriors Big Man