Golden State Warriors: James Wiseman’s return appears imminent

Brace yourself Golden State Warriors fans, James Wiseman’s return to the floor appears to be imminent.

Wiseman has been ramping up his participation in practice, recently playing five-on-five for the first time since suffering his season-ending injury in April 2020.

The Golden State Warriors are hoping James Wiseman’s road to recovery is nearly finished as the young center nears a return.

If you aren’t on the hype train yet, this video of Wiseman slamming a put-back dunk should do the trick.

This is about what we should hope to see from Wiseman in his sophomore season, crashes to the hoop for easy dunks and putbacks. He’s an athletic marvel and he’ll be the only player on the roster with enough size to go toe-to-toe with other elite bigs.

The expectations are measured this time around for Wiseman after a missed opportunity to solidify himself as an upcoming star in his rookie season. Now, the Dubs simply want to see some level of productivity from the big man.

It should not be hard for Wiseman to succeed. The Warriors are already rolling with the second-best record in the NBA and he fits their need for a rim runner. Once Draymond Green returns, Golden State will be at full strength and Wiseman can fill in as a consistent paint presence that compliments the Splash Brothers.

The official return date is not set but speculation is growing for March 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. A showdown between two of the top three picks from the 2020 NBA Draft could be a fun one.

However, it also makes sense for the Warriors to hold on a bit longer and allow Wiseman to get his feet wet in the G-League. There is no sense in rushing him back and building confidence in Santa Cruz can work wonders for the 20-year-old, just as Jordan Poole.