Warriors Make Surprise Roster Move With Former Lottery Pick

Getty Golden State Warriors big man James Wiseman attempts to lay the ball in during a 2020 game against the Brooklyn Nets.

To say that Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob established some lofty expectations for James Wiseman after the team selected him No. 2 overall in 2020 would be a massive understatement. Lacob’s exact verbiage in the wake of the pick was that the baller was a “once-in-a-decade kind of guy.”

Lacob even went so far as to mention the youngster in the same breath as Joel Embiid. For the uninitiated, that’s the guy who just went for 59 points, 11 boards, eight assists and seven blocks against a 10-win team.

Two-plus years later, though, Wiseman isn’t even in Steve Kerr’s rotation, let alone playing like a rising star and potential franchise cornerstone.

Wiseman’s 2022-23 season has gotten off to such a rough start, in fact, that the Warriors just resorted to making an incredibly rare move for a top lottery pick in an effort to expedite his development.

Warriors Send Wiseman to the G League’s Sea Dubs

Per an announcement from the Warriors on Tuesday, Wiseman — together with rookie guard Ryan Rollins — has been assigned to the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. News of Wiseman’s impending move broke the previous day during Coach Kerr’s media availability.

“He’s gonna go to Santa Cruz tomorrow and we will keep him there for an extended period to get really good practice time and some games,” Kerr said when asked about the 21-year-old. “It’s not gonna be one game and bring him back. We want to give him maybe 10 straight days…”

Wiseman’s last G League action came in March as the 2021-22 campaign was hitting its stretch run and he was gearing up for a Dubs return after undergoing knee surgery the prior year. Alas, he suffered a setback and his comeback ultimately was delayed until this season.

The Memphis alum acquitted himself well in two G League games before getting shut down, though, averaging 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per contest.

Added Kerr: “We all know things happen in this league and he’s gonna find his way back to the rotation at some point. But the best thing for him is to play a lot of minutes and get a lot of reps.”

Warriors Trying to Get the Most Out of Their Investment

Second-overall picks going to the G League may be a rare occurrence, but it shouldn’t be looked at as a negative or some kind of demotion in Wiseman’s case. If his potential wasn’t evident, he may not even be making the trip. However, his immense physical talent is such that it demands those minutes and reps Kerr mentioned.

Unfortunately, the Warriors aren’t really in a position to be playing extremely young/inexperienced players for large stretches. After all, the team is in an unexpected hole early with a 6-8 record amid its quest to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the second-straight year.

As of this writing, the Warriors are minus-24.4 points per 100 possessions with Wiseman on the court. But given his incredible potential, as well as the investment they’ve made in him as a No. 2 pick, they can’t afford to let him languish on the bench.

So, off to the G League it is until he’s better prepared to play main-roster minutes.

In 11 games with the Warriors this season, Wiseman is averaging 6.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per outing.