NBA Preseason: Warriors draft bust impresses in surprise start for new team

Former Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman has made a bright start in trying to revive his NBA career, showing some positive signs in the Indiana Pacers 131-130 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.

After the Detroit Pistons failed to tender a qualifying offer to the 23-year-old following last season, Wiseman signed a two-year, $4.8 million contract with the Pacers in hopes they can help extract more from him than we've seen over a four-year career to date.

Former Warriors big man James Wiseman impressed in his Pacers debut

In the absence of starting center Myles Turner and usual backup big Isaiah Jackson, Wiseman started in his Indiana debut alongside lineup regulars Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and Pascal Siakam.

The former second overall pick played exclusively with the starting group in 16 first half minutes, notching eight points and four rebounds on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting. Wiseman did miss three free-throws, but the team was a solid +7 in his minutes in what was a positive start to his tenure in Indiana.

There's an air of excitement around Wiseman's potential at the Pacers, even if it completely belies what we've seen from him in his career so far. Often classified as Golden State's biggest mistake over the last decade, Wiseman appeared in just 60 games for the team before being traded to the Pistons in February last year.

But perhaps a new environment could do wonders for the seven-footer, with Indiana hoping that he can help with the rebounding issues that plagued them last season. Despite starting in his place on Tuesday, Wiseman has nothing but the upmost support from Turner and the rest of the Pacers organization.

“I feel like once he gets the opportunity that he’s been looking for, he’s going to take it and run with it…I genuinely want to see him succeed," Turner said of Wiseman on media day last week.

The Pacers run-and-gun, up-tempo style could suit Wiseman more so than his previous two NBA homes, allowing him to use his athleticism to fly up and down the floor while being spoon-fed easy looks from a pair of All-Stars in Haliburton and Siakam.

Wiseman's career remains an interesting one for Warrior fans to follow. While he's yet to make the franchise regret moving on from him less than three years into his career, perhaps Indiana is the best landing spot for him to develop into a long-term NBA player.