Golden State Warriors: What does James Wiseman’s 30-piece mean for short-term future?

There were very few positives for the Golden State Warriors in another blowout loss on Wednesday, but James Wiseman was undoubtedly one as he dropped a career-high 30 points against the Brooklyn Nets.

The Warriors lost by that same margin, although it threatened to be far greater when the Nets tallied an astronomical 91 points and built a 40-point lead by half time.

After criticism of his game the night before, Golden State Warriors’ James Wiseman was rewarded for his perseverance with a 30-piece against the Nets.

The 21-year-old was exponentially more imposing than he was against the Knicks, or at least as much as he could be given the game was practically over by the time he hit the floor — Golden State were down 33-12 when Wiseman subbed in with 3:44 to play in the opening period.

While his G League performances failed to translate against the Knicks on Tuesday, it certainly did against Brooklyn’s smaller center brigade. The former number two overall pick had a plethora of dunks, knocked down his one three-point attempt, and even made a couple of nice moves to the rim off the dribble.

Wiseman finished with an even 30 points on an incredibly efficient 12-for-14 (85.7%) shooting, also recording six rebounds, two assists and a block in just under 28 minutes of action.

But what does it mean for Wiseman’s short-term future with the Warriors? Can the showcase catapult him back into Steve Kerr’s regular rotation, or was it simply a blip on the radar before more extended time in the G League?

The issue with the first one is it’s predicated on Kerr and the coaching staff — can they find a way to utilize Wiseman’s strengths to make him an average-level player? Right now, he’s asked to play like Kevon Looney — defend, rebound, set screens — none of which he’s even close to doing effectively.

But from Wiseman’s perspective, you can understand why, as a young player, it may be difficult to feel engaged and committed in those aspects if you’re not rewarded on the other end. His offense can actually be productive in the right scenario– pass him the ball when he’s run the floor and is open, or if he’s under the rim against anyone 6’6″ or below. Perhaps give him one three-point attempt each game — could he shoot 35% from deep on wide-open attempts?

If he’s scoring 10-15 points in similar gametime, then all of a sudden his negatives become a lot easier to stomach. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to envisage Kerr and the Warriors delving further into Wiseman’s scoring when they’ve never prioritized a center within their offense.

While his 30-point performance is promising signs, and it’s excellent reward for the hard work he’s been putting in, the Warriors’ rotation is still unlikely to feature Wiseman and more G League action could well be on the cards.