James Wiseman’s path to the New York Knicks may have started well before the contract was signed.
The former No. 2 overall pick had already been working out with New York before agreeing to an Exhibit 9 deal, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, and there is now a “real chance” he wins the team’s final roster spot.
Fischer reported in his latest NBA Insider Notebook that Wiseman had been doing work with the Knicks before his signing and is “definitely a favorite” of coach Mike Brown, who knows him from their time together with the Golden State Warriors.
“There’s a real chance that James Wiseman beats out everybody else in this group to make this final roster spot here,” Fischer said.
That makes Wiseman more than another camp body.
James Wiseman Has History With Mike Brown
Brown was an assistant in Golden State during Wiseman’s first two NBA seasons, giving the Knicks coach first-hand familiarity with the 7-footer’s strengths, flaws and developmental history.
That connection already mattered when New York brought Wiseman in. Now Fischer’s reporting suggests it may matter even more once camp begins.
Wiseman is competing with Drew Eubanks, Bruce Brown, Ochai Agbaji and John Konchar, all signed to non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deals. The Knicks currently have 13 standard contracts and are expected to fill only one of their two open spots unless another transaction creates additional flexibility.
The need at center is obvious.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond sit atop the depth chart, but New York lacks an established third big after losing Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti. That gives both Wiseman and Eubanks a cleaner path than the wing candidates if the Knicks decide positional need should determine the final spot.
Knicks Could Have Another Landry Shamet-Type Camp Battle
Fischer compared the situation to last year, when Landry Shamet won a training camp competition and eventually became part of the Knicks’ championship rotation.
That history gives this September battle more weight than the usual fight for the 14th roster spot.
Wiseman, 25, has never fulfilled the expectations that came with being selected second overall in 2020. Injuries disrupted his time with Golden State, and his career has since included stops in Detroit and Indiana. He has averaged 9.0 points and 5.5 rebounds across 152 career games.
But this opportunity is different.
The Knicks do not need Wiseman to become the franchise center Golden State once envisioned. They need size, rebounding, rim-running and someone capable of surviving limited minutes behind Towns and Drummond.
Brown already knows what Wiseman can do. More importantly, according to Fischer, the Knicks were evaluating him before the contract ever became official.
That gives Wiseman something most Exhibit 9 players do not have when camp begins: a head start.
And if Fischer’s reporting is any indication, he may already be the man everyone else is trying to catch.
Knicks’ Favorite for Final Roster Spot Battle Emerges