Warriors can now move on from the hope of a James Wiseman return
It would’ve been extremely difficult for the Golden State Warriors to get James Wiseman into the rotation given he would’ve made his return with under a month left in the season.
Wiseman was initially sidelined with a torn meniscus. That ended his rookie season and continued into the offseason. Setbacks persisted as Wiseman pushed for a return but swelling forced that to be halted.
The Golden State Warriors are shutting down James Wiseman, removing any hope of a comeback for the second-year center this season.
His timeline was unknown, but that has since been resolved. Now, the Warriors’ hopeful franchise cornerstone is officially going to be out for the remainder of the season. This was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
ESPN Sources: Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman has been ruled out for the rest of the season and will continue rehabilitating his right knee. Wiseman has been recovering from a meniscus repair last April, and the team has been cautious to protect him for the long-term.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2022
Wiseman was going to play a key role in the Warriors frontcourt had he been able to join the team sooner.
Having played and dominated the G-League for a few games and having ramped up his practicing for the past few months, it was increasingly likely that Wiseman was going to get to a playable level prior to this most recent setback.
However, he’s now done for the season, and it is probably for the best. Integrating Wiseman into the rotation given the flaws he had as a rookie was virtually an impossible task for head coach Steve Kerr.
Wiseman didn’t necessarily have a bad rookie season with the Warriors, but it seemed like everyone expected more from the No. 2 overall pick. He averaged just 11.5 points per game and shot a mere 52% from the field.
His real issue came with fouling though, averaging 3.1 fouls per game. He was at 5.2 fouls per 36 minutes and 6.8 fouls per 100 possessions. That was going to be a key focal point for Wiseman in his second season.
However, getting healthy was clearly the top priority, especially given how his return likely wouldn’t mean much for the Warriors’ postseason performance. That said, Golden State did the right thing here.
It’s just disappointing for those hoping Wiseman would return and give the Warriors an elite rim protector and pick-and-roll option, something they don’t quite have with starting center Kevon Looney.
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Nonetheless, the Warriors will have to continue without the hope of Wiseman joining them for the postseason.