Golden State Warriors: James Wiseman must be a better defender in 2022

There’s no denying James Wiseman‘s first season in the NBA didn’t meet expectations. The Golden State Warriors No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Wiseman was selected over players like LaMelo Ball, so the lofty expectations were there.

It’s not necessarily his fault that adjusting was easier said than done. Wiseman played just three games at the collegiate level before looking towards a future in the NBA. The last time he had consistently played basketball was in high school.

The Golden State Warriors are going to be expecting more from James Wiseman, and his improvement needs to start on the defensive side of the ball.

It was obvious early that Wiseman’s skill set needed refining a bit.

His post moves weren’t quite there, and his shot seemed off. While he did put together enough solid outings to give the Warriors hope that he’ll come around, his improvements need to start on the defensive end.

It would be nice for Wiseman to turn into the rim protector that he clearly has the capability of being. Wiseman stands seven feet tall, but on top of that, he has a 7-foot-6 wingspan. He turned that into just 0.9 blocks per game. He had 36 blocks in 39 games.

Wiseman had nine blocks in his three games at Memphis. The size and potential for him to be a lethal rim protector are there, but he needs to learn better positioning. However, that’s not going to be the most important defensive factor.

Fouling is.

Wiseman averaged 3.1 fouls per game, and he averaged just 21.4 minutes per game. Per 36 minutes, Wiseman averaged over five fouls. That’s just not going to cut it moving forward. Staying on the court is going to be huge as the team’s backup to Wiseman is Kevon Looney.

The difference in the offensive skill set of the two is enough to push the second-year center to play without fouling. Of the 13 games in which he played over 25 minutes, Wiseman had under four fouls in only three of them.

His next major step is playing without fouling. The Warriors were almost 15 points per 100 possessions worse than their opponent with Wiseman on the court, and his 84 shooting fouls were a major reason for that.

The Warriors’ development staff need to get Wiseman in the right positions, both on the floor and with his movements. If they can do that and he becomes an efficient starter, they should be much better of in the long-term future.