Warriors need James Wiseman to learn to defend without fouling
As 2020 No. 2 overall pick, James Wiseman entered his first season with the Golden State Warriors with ultra-high expectations. With the team passing on LaMelo Ball for the star center, Wiseman entered carrying a heavy load that wasn’t by any fault of his own.
Coming from Memphis, Wiseman played just three games at the collegiate level, so those expectations truly needed to be tempered. While he didn’t play incredible basketball, Wiseman played well enough to keep most excited for his lofty ceiling.
The Golden State Warriors are going to be leaning in James Wiseman more this season, and they’ll need him to drastically improve defensively.
The problem with Wiseman defensively wasn’t that he wasn’t strong enough or that he was having issues with his 7-foot frame, but it was more than he just couldn’t play the game without fouling.
That’s typical of rookie centers, but it’s a problem that needs to be fixed in the near future. Wiseman is set to be the starting center for the Warriors this season, and with that title comes more responsibility.
He needs to learn not to foul, and with increased minutes, that will be more important. Wiseman averaged over three fouls per game. While players get six, Wiseman was playing drastically limited minutes for some stretches.
He averaged 3.1 fouls per game and played in just over 21 minutes per game. He had 121 personal fouls in 836 minutes. Per 36 minutes, that average for the young center skyrockets to 5.2, a problematic rate.
That’s going to be one of the Warriors’ biggest developmental moves with Wiseman. He needs to be able to play big-time minutes and not foul. For big men, it’s more about learning to play vertical than anything else.
It’s tough to put much on Wiseman. He played in just three games during his short collegiate career then he was thrown to the wolves with the Warriors, starting 27 of his 39 appearances as a rookie.
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With high expectations as a second-year, 20-year-old prospect, the Dubs will be looking forward to some improvements in his game, especially defensively. Learning not to foul will be a major key for him moving forward.