James Wiseman was selected by the Golden State Warriors with the 2nd pick in the 2020 NBA draft. The big man out of Memphis oozed potential and was an intriguing prospect, so much so that the Warriors reneged on their promise of picking LaMelo Ball to select Wiseman instead. On that draft night, the Warriors also lost their star guard Klay Thompson on the draft night which put a huge dent in their plans of returning to the status of an elite team in the Western Conference. This season once again turned into a wasted one with the Warriors nucleus of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson all getting one year older and their championship window getting smaller.
This is now the second season that is looking more than likely that the Warriors are going to miss the postseason. The Warriors made moves to try and remain competitive, trading for Kelly Oubre which has yielded disappointing results, and trading for Andrew Wiggins hoping that a new team would unlock his potential, which hasn’t worked out. It also doesn’t help that James Wiseman is looking lost on the court on a nightly basis, while he has shown flashes of being a dominant player they are few and far between which is not enough for a team running out of time.
Wiseman is not ready to contribute to a winning team
James Wiseman has been a disappointment this season often losing his starting job to lesser talent and even being benched for silly rookie mistakes like missing a covid test. He is averaging 11.8 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game but ranks at the bottom of most advanced offensive statistics. Wiseman is a complete detriment to the Warriors on offense so much so that the Warrior’s most-used lineup sans Wiseman of Curry, Oubre, Wiggins, Green, and Looney scores 111.6 points per 100 possessions but when Wiseman replaces Looney it drops to 99.5 which would be dead last in the league.
Taking a look at our rookie rankings here at Vendetta and Wiseman is nowhere near the top. While other rookies like Tyrese Halliburton, LaMelo Ball, and Anthony Edwards are making strides on offense, Wiseman is holding his team back. He may turn into a great player but the Warriors need an immediate contributor that can produce on both sides of the ball. In 2021, James Wiseman isn’t that player yet.
In the NBA it takes on average three years for a big man to truly develop into a player that can contribute to a team on a high level. Take Clint Capela, Nikola Jokic, Demarcus cousins, and Pascal Siakam for example. They are all players that truly began to break out in the third year of their careers. However, three years is too long to wait for the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors cant afford to wait for Wiseman to Develop
Stephen Curry will be 34 next season, Klay Thompson will be coming off two seasons of rehabbing from serious leg injuries, and Draymond Green’s offensive game and body are already starting to show signs of breaking down. Last season was possibly a blessing in disguise after Stephen Curry went down early in the season with a broken left hand. It allowed the Warriors to tank for a premium draft pick. However, they made a mistake in drafting James Wiseman.
The Warriors were reported as open to trading Wiseman and their 2021 NBA draft pick in return for a generation player. That obviously isn’t going to happen as Wiseman’s trade value couldn’t be any lower at the moment. The Warriors are going to have to make a difficult choice to make before next season. If they keep Wiseman and wait for him to develop instead of trading him for immediate help it will effectively close their championship window. For Stephen Curry’s Sake, I hope they make the right choice.
