Golden State Warriors: Upon return, James Wiseman must limit turnovers

The Golden State Warriors will hopefully see second-year center James Wiseman return soon, and when he does, they’ll need to make sure he cuts down on his turnovers, one of the problems he struggled with as a rookie.

While the No. 2 overall pick showed his high ceiling during his first season, it certainly wasn’t what fans expected. Other top picks, LaMelo Ball and Anthony Edwards, looked far more impressive as rookies.

The Golden State Warriors need to fix many things with James Wiseman’s play, and his turnover-prone nature is going to be a major one.

Wiseman averaged 11.5 points and 1.5 turnovers per game. For standing 7-foot, Wiseman was expected to be a big-time rim protector as well. That also didn’t go as planned as Wiseman never truly learned to play without fouling frequently.

Offensively, he looked pretty good for most of the season. He shot 52% from the field which is good for a rookie. He also managed to step up and shoot from deep more frequently than many expected, hitting 0.3 triples per game.

However, he turned it over too much. The additional playmaking may be different for Wiseman as he’ll get easier looks and be asked to do less on his own, but it’s a factor that needs to be monitored.

Wiseman’s per-36 minutes turnover rate is 2.6.

If that were translated onto this team, it would be fifth best with Nemanja Bjelica, who doesn’t get many minutes, coming in at No. 4. Wiseman had 60 turnovers, 12 of which were bad pass turnovers and 16 of which were loose-ball turnovers.

The Warriors were worse with Wiseman on the court last season, and as a rookie, there’s no denying that was somewhat to do be expected. That will need to change though as the Warriors will be counting on him to produce with the starters.

Golden State clearly wants Wiseman to be the future of the frontcourt, and he’ll need to show more this season to solidify that claim. He is clearly talented, but can he look competent in the post without turning it over?

That’s going to be a big step for him as the Warriors look to get him more minutes when he returns. As he returns, his ability to play well offensively and not turn the ball over will be something to watch.