The Golden State Warriors found themselves in quite a unique position back in 2020. They had made it to the NBA Finals every year from 2015 to 2019, but injuries crippled the team in the 2019-20 season as the likes of Stephen Curry missed a large portion of the campaign. That helped a team that had been so successful, land the second pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and with it, they selected James Wiseman.
Wiseman was seen as someone who could become an elite big man and would add another dimension to the Warriors’ offense, but things haven’t gone to plan. Injuries haven’t helped Wiseman as he played just 39 games as a rookie and then missed the whole of last season. There were doubts regarding just how effective he would be this season and the answer is not very. He has averaged 6.8 points to go with 3.8 rebounds this season while shooting 58.8% from the field and has really struggled.
Steve Kerr Reveals That James Wiseman Will Be Sent To The G League
He also had to sit out for 3 games this season, not because of injury but the dreaded DNP-Coach’s Decision. The Warriors clearly don’t think he is at a stage right now where he can have a positive impact on the court and head coach Steve Kerr revealed after their game against the Spurs that Wiseman is going to be sent to their G League team.
Steve Kerr says James Wiseman will go to Santa Cruz tomorrow for an "extended period." pic.twitter.com/PFXgnczMVg
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 15, 2022
“Yeah, he’s gonna go to Santa Cruz tomorrow and we will keep him there for an extended period to get really good practice time and some games. It’s not going to be one game and bring him back, we want to give him 10 straight days, something like that, and then come back.”
That might well be for the best, even if it sounds terrible for someone who was the second pick in the draft. Wiseman can get a consistent run in the team and have the offense flow through him to an extent. He had also been assigned to the Santa Cruz Warriors earlier this year when he returned from injury, but he wasn’t able to play much, as suffered a setback during rehab.
Hopefully, this second stint proves to be productive and he can come back as a better player. He can take some inspiration from teammate Jordan Poole, who spent some time in the G League himself in the past and it helped him improve his game. Poole tried to encourage Wiseman by saying it isn’t a demotion or punishment, but an opportunity to improve. If there still isn’t any change after this, however, then Wiseman might find himself getting shipped out, as a Warriors insider stated that he is the most likely player to be traded from the team. For his sake, we hope it doesn’t come to that.
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