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Golden State Warriors make major call on James Wiseman

By Peter O'Keefe

SAITAMA, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 30: James Wiseman #33 of the Golden State Warriors in action during the Golden State Warriors v Washington Wizards - NBA Japan Games at the Saitama Super Arena on September 30, 2022 in Saitama, Japan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images)
SAITAMA, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 30: James Wiseman #33 of the Golden State Warriors in action during the Golden State Warriors v Washington Wizards - NBA Japan Games at the Saitama Super Arena on September 30, 2022 in Saitama, Japan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors have made a major call on James Wiseman, assigning the former number two overall pick to the NBA G League. The 21 year-old will join the Santa Cruz Warriors later today, and will likely be there for what head coach Steve Kerr describes as an “extended period”.

Wiseman has been out of Kerr’s rotation over recent games, having struggled off the bench in a limited role to start the season. He played just over nine garbage time minutes as the Warriors demolished the San Antonio Spurs by 37 points at Chase Center on Monday night.

The Golden State Warriors will be hoping time in the NBA G League will do big man James Wiseman a world of good over the next stretch of his developing journey.

Kerr confirmed the news after the game, with Wiseman having notched three straight DNP’s following the Warriors loss to the New Orleans Pelicans 11 days ago.

"“It’s not going to be one game and bring him back. We want to give him maybe ten straight days…We all know things happen in this league and he’s going to find his way back to the rotation at some point. But the best thing for him is to play a lot of minutes and get a lot of reps”, Kerr said."

The Warriors have had recent success with sending their first-round picks down to the G League. Most notably, Jordan Poole went to Santa Cruz during his second season, albeit with much less fanfare than what Wiseman’s currently going through.

After major struggles through his first year or so in the league, Poole returned a completely different player from his experience. He had a strong close to the 2020-21 season before becoming an integral piece of the Warriors championship team and earning himself a four-year, $140 million contract.

Reflecting on his own experience, Poole said he’s told Wiseman that “it’s not a demotion, it’s not a punishment”. The Warriors will be hoping Wiseman comes back to be a crucial piece of what they plan to be another sustained playoff run.

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The seven-footer is averaging 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 13.4 minutes with the Warriors this season. He missed all of last year recovering from a torn meniscus sustained in April of his rookie campaign.

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