Warriors’ James Wiseman suffers another setback, future status uncertain
The Golden State Warriors were preparing for a potential Sunday return for second-year center James Wiseman. The 20-year-old would give Golden State size and length that they don’t have in current center Kevon Looney.
Whether he will start or not upon returning is unknown, but what we do know is that it won’t be in the near future. Wiseman, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic, has swelling in his right knee and is not practicing with the Warriors as he was scheduled to.
The Golden State Warriors were hoping second-year center James Wiseman would return in the near future, but those plans will be put to a halt.
Wiseman tore his meniscus near the end of the 2021 season which is where this string of injuries kicked off. The 2020 No. 2 overall pick did not play again that season following his mid-April injury and has yet to play this year despite having played with the Santa Cruz Warriors.
Reportedly having bulked up, there is hope that Wiseman will be able to improve upon a few key flaws from his rookie season.
The main one is his inability to defend without fouling which may be aided by his increased strength. Wiseman averaged 3.1 fouls per game, but given his limited minutes per game, that number skyrockets to 5.2 per 36 minutes and 6.4 per 100 possessions.
On top of that, Wiseman’s offensive efficiency could use some help as he shot just 52% from the field, which for a 7-foot center who shoots most of his field goals around the rim, is not ideal. However, those are very correctable flaws.
Can he fix them prior to the playoffs and get minutes on a contending roster is a completely different question though, especially with Steve Kerr’s love for a small-ball lineup and the play oof Looney this season.
Looney is averaging a career-high in points, rebounds, and assists. He shoots 57% from the field and collects 2.7 offensive rebounds per game, both unique contributions that many centers don’t give.
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Nonetheless, Wiseman is the future of the Warriors center, and they’ll want him active sooner rather than later but obviously only if he’s at full strength.