The Minnesota Timberwolves are expected to pass on drafting James Wiseman in the 2020 NBA Draft, meaning he will be on the board for Golden State Warriors.
James Wiseman is one of the top prospects in the 2020 NBA Draft and has been rumored to be a target of the Golden State Warriors at No. 2 overall if the Warriors keep the pick. Many NBA insiders and analysts believe that Wiseman will not be the No. 1 overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves as Wiseman has not given Minnesota any attention whatsoever.
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Wiseman is not expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft as Wiseman does not want to play for them. On the ‘Scoop’ podcast with Darren Wolfson, Windhorst talked about James Wiseman and his problem with the Minnesota Timberwolves:
"“Wiseman does not want to come to Minnesota because Karl-Anthony Towns is there. From what I understand, Wiseman doesn’t even want to do anything with the Wolves.”"
If true, this makes a lot of sense on Wiseman’s part because if you are the consensus top center prospect in the draft, why would you want to be drafted No. 1 overall and be the “understudy” of an All-Star in Towns. It is not like the Timberwolves are thinking about moving Karl Anthony-Towns either.
Towns will be entering his sixth season in the NBA as a 2x All-Star and All-NBA caliber talent who is the staple of the Timberwolves franchise. Neither Towns or Wiseman are likely to change their position from center to power forward, so it would not make sense for the Timberwolves to draft the Memphis big man and it would not make sense for Wiseman to want to go to Minnesota, even if it is No. 1 overall.
With not a lot of promise at the SG and SF positions, the Timberwolves would be much better off selecting a versatile guard or wing with the No. 1 overall pick, leaving Wiseman as an option for the Golden State Warriors.
Wiseman would definitely fit a void that the Warriors have had at the starting center position for years and could give him the opportunity to turn into a more reliable offensive weapon. With questions surrounding Marquese Chriss for the Warriors and the fact that Steve Kerr prefers Kevon Looney off the bench, James Wiseman is definitely a player you can look at and feel comfortable taking if you are the Warriors.
The need for a reliable wing player who can provide valuable minutes for the Warriors is also a big need though. Behind Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, you might as well roll the dice and hope for the best. One can definitely make the argument for either Wiseman or a versatile and athletic wing player in the draft for Golden State come November 18th.