Golden State Warriors NBA Draft: 4 high-risk, high-reward prospects

1. James Wiseman

Like many, I have been skeptical of James Wiseman’s outlook in the NBA. The league is moving away from traditional centers and Wiseman doesn’t seem to have much outside of a massive frame and elite shot-blocking ability. While these are good traits to have, it’s hard to see him playing a big role in the league until he expands his game.

But, then I began thinking, would Wiseman even need to do this if he joined the Warriors? The Splash Brothers are enough of a threat from deep to spread the floor for Golden State. It would hurt to have Wiseman and Draymond Green, two non-shooters, in the lineup at the same time. However, their presence on defense could outweigh their limitations on offense.

Wiseman has the ability to transcend the Warriors’ defense. Never before has the dynasty seen a player who can rebound and protect the rim at a high rate. This kind of reliability in the paint could make life easier for the rest of the Dubs.

If we have to bet on Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson overcoming a slightly shrunken floor in order to significantly improve the Warriors’ defense, I don’t see much problem in drafting Wiseman. However, the fact remains he could wind up hindering the offense too much to keep him on the floor – furthermore, he has yet to prove he can defend quicker guards on the perimeter.

Wiseman might be everything the Dubs need on defense, but will he ever be able to expand his range and knock down enough shots to maintain modern NBA spacing? This is a risk the Warriors will have to consider.