Unsurprisingly, the Golden State Warriors have landed James Wiseman with the 2nd overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. However, there are plenty of people questioning this selection because of the lack of footage and exposure, as they believe that he may not be that ready to make it to the pros yet.
Over a year ago, James Wiseman was the consensus best player in his class and a lock to be the first-overall pick, and the fact that he only slipped one spot despite barely playing at the college level is a true testament of just how talented and physically gifted he is.
Wiseman has an NBA-ready body and is an imitating athlete. He knows how to make the most of his huge wingspan and physical traits to dominate both sides of the glass and has shown flashes of being an elite rim runner and rim protector.
He sets hard screens and doesn’t have any kinds of issues jumping over multiple bodies for his emphatic put-back dunks, and even though he may struggle to hold his own vs. quicker players in the perimeter, his length makes him deadly in switches.
Obviously, there will always be some concerns due to how little playing time he got vs. college rivals after dropping out of the University of Memphis in the wake of his suspension. Moreover, there are some people who believe that there’s no room in the modern NBA for a heavy-footed, old-school big man who lacks range.
Then again, you should never pass on a physical freak and talented young man like him, especially if you’re a team like the Golden State Warriors who usually doesn’t wear out their centers that much. They just need him to be a roll-man, set screens and give them second-chance opportunities. But once the game starts slowing down for him, he could be one of the best big men on earth.
