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Thursday was a good day in Golden State Warriors-land as the Bay Area crew was able to avenge a pair of recent losses to the Denver Nuggets. The road victory marked the first time in more than a month that the scuffling team was able to string consecutive Ws together.
As big as that was for the Warriors, though, the bigger development may have taken place in California’s Central Valley, about 80 miles east of Chase Center.
After almost a year on the sidelines due to a torn right meniscus, James Wiseman made his long-awaited return to the court with the Warriors’ road-tripping Santa Cruz affiliate. In his G League debut with the Sea Dubs, the 20-year-old showed the Stockton Kings why he was the No. 2 overall pick in 2020.
Wiseman played an eventful 20 minutes in the game, scoring 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting while adding six boards. Along the way, Santa Cruz outscored Stockton by nine points when he was on the floor — in a game the team lost by double digits. He also wrecked the rim with some monster jams.
Wiseman Speaks
After the game, Wiseman was asked for his thoughts on finally seeing some real action. The seven-footer made it clear that he was no worse for wear after getting that first-game-back milestone under his belt.
“I feel great,” Wiseman declared. “I was just out there playing my game, doing what I do. I’ve been working out for the past year, so I’m just happy to be out there running again, just getting up and down.”
As one might have expected, he had some butterflies in the hours before tip-off. However, picking up the controller on the eve of his big return had done well to help calm his nerves.
“I was nervous, a lot, but I meditated this morning, so it kind of calmed me down. And also, I played 2K last night so, you know, I was just getting buckets with KD.”
Of course, Wiseman wasn’t out there firing fadeaway jumpers on the perimeter à la the former Warrior (although he did hit a nifty elbow jumper in Neemias Queta’s eye). Rather, he was running the floor, receiving the ball near the hoop and finishing with authority.
To that end, the big man cited a putback dunk during the second quarter as his favorite play of the night.
“It felt good,” he said of the sequence. “It reminded me of myself last year. So, yeah, it felt good… That rebound, putback. Yeah, most definitely.”
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Wiseman’s Next G League Outing
This wasn’t just Wiseman’s first game since early 2021, it was also one of just a handful of times he has performed in front of a live crowd since turning pro. His rookie campaign was, of course, cut short by the injury. Moreover, the pandemic had forced restrictions on attendance throughout the season.
Clearly, that fact wasn’t lost on Wiseman.
“Really just like the excitement, the fans coming out and supporting me and, really, my teammates supporting me as well,” he said of what he took from the experience. “So, really just going out there and just being patient, taking my time; just going out there, just having fun.”
Wiseman will get a chance to play in front of Dub Nation at Chase Center on Sunday when he suits up for his second game against the G League Ignite.
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