Golden State Warriors: James Wiseman has much to prove

James Wiseman’s rookie season didn’t go as planned. Shifting from the starting lineup to second unit and eventually, injury reserve, the Golden State Warriors will be expecting more from Wiseman in year two.

Entering year two, James Wiseman will have to act swiftly in proving he belongs with the Golden State Warriors.

It was evident from game one that Wiseman was a raw prospect. His limited training over the offseason made it difficult for the young center to make a successful leap from college to the pros.

Wiseman was a fish out of water. The speed of the NBA game took him by surprise, with Wiseman constantly being out of position and unsure of his role with the team. Even for an athletic big man, keeping up with the pace of modern basketball can be a challenge.

For this reason, Wiseman played just the 23rd most minutes per game of any rookie this season. The odd fit of him being exceptionally inexperienced, combined with the Warriors’ pursuit of a playoff spot, resulted in a harsh learning curve for Wiseman.

The pain of stumbling through his rookie season was only made worse when it all came to an abrupt end due to injury. As Wiseman said himself, the mental aspect of not being able to compete in his favorite game once again took a toll on him:

"“It’s kind of hard, I was really down…I can say that I was crying a lot. Yeah, it was bad. My mom had to actually tell me everything was gonna be all right.”Via The Undefeated"

With Wiseman’s name quickly appearing in trade rumors following the end of the season, it is obvious how much Bob Myers helped reassure the youngin’ of his role with the team. Myers stated that the Dubs had no plans of trading Wiseman — and this helped give a boost of confidence to the No. 2 pick.

"“When Bob clarified to the news reporters that he wasn’t going to trade me, that gave me a lot of confidence within myself…I know what I’m capable of.”Via The Undefeated"

Wiseman is saying all of the right things, but next season it will be time to show he is worthy of staying in Golden State. Wiseman needs to place an emphasis on studying the game this summer. It is vital he increases his awareness on the floor and begins to piece his mind-bending athleticism with high-IQ basketball.

Assuming the Warriors don’t trade Wiseman, he will have much to prove as a sophomore. He has all of the resources needed to make a leap in his second season, but will Wiseman be able to do it? I guess we’ll find out.