James Wiseman hasn’t had the ideal start to his NBA career, to say the least. The 21-year-old has already missed a significant amount of time with injuries, and when he has managed to step on the court, he hasn’t been all that impressive.
It doesn’t help that he’s playing for the Golden State Warriors, who don’t have a lot of time to develop young players. In an ideal situation, Wiseman would be allowed to play through his struggles and gain more experience on the court, but the Warriors can’t afford to give him those opportunities at the moment, as they are looking to find some consistency. Head coach Steve Kerr was on 95.7 The Game’s “Damon & Ratto” show, where he was asked whether he owes it to Wiseman to either start him or trade him, and here’s what Kerr had to say.
(starts at 16:47 mark):
“I think that’s a fair question. One of the things that I tell James from time to time, is I feel bad for him because of the circumstances. He’s had a tough go with the injuries, the injuries have definitely set him back, but bottom line is he’s a really talented young guy playing on a veteran team.”
“So he’s in a situation where he’s not getting as many reps and as much playing time as he would in a different set of circumstances had he been drafted by a different team. He’d be getting more opportunities for sure and that’s part of his story, that’s part of his journey.”
“And what I love about James is he understands that and recognizes it and continues to keep a positive spirit and energy and he works hard every single day and he’s wonderful to coach. As I’ve said many times, I’m a huge fan. However this plays out, we don’t know, but I hope I get to continue to coach him and I hope that he can develop here and get more opportunities as we go forward.”
Kerr is saying all the right things there. The Warriors did send Wiseman to the G League earlier this season so that he could get more reps, but it didn’t seem to do much for him. The Warriors have also made a lineup change recently, which has had Kevon Looney coming off the bench, which further decreases Wiseman’s opportunities on the court. He was back from an ankle injury against the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this week but didn’t play a single minute, and it is hard to see him getting too many opportunities moving forward.
Stephen Curry Could Make The Warriors Reconsider Not Trading Their Young Players
The Warriors’ top brass has stated numerous times in the past that they want to hold on to their young players. It allows them to have a smoother transition once the likes of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson are gone, but considering their struggles this season, there have been growing calls for them to make a win-now move.
An Eastern Conference executive thinks Curry could force the Warriors to rethink not trading their young players. If he does go to the top brass and tell them to make a move, the Warriors would probably do it. Time is running out, though, as the deadline isn’t too far away.
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