James Wiseman "Grateful" To Be Back With Warriors In NBA
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The NBA G League has been a huge success in recent years, as it has paved the way for numerous underrated talents to make their mark and ultimately earn a spot on an NBA roster.
Oftentimes, teams will have their players on two-way contracts and sometimes players taken in the second-round of the draft play in the G League to gain more experience and work on their craft, but very rarely do we see first-round draft picks spend chunks of time in the G League.
Not only is it rare to see a first-round pick down there, but it is almost unheard of for a recent second overall pick that is still on his rookie contract to be in the G League unless he is working his way back from an injury.
This was the case over the last month though with James Wiseman, as the Golden State Warriors sent him to the Santa Cruz Warriors on November 15 in order to gain more practice and playing time.
While many viewed this as a “demotion” for Wiseman, this is not such an uncommon move for the Warriors to make, as they have one of the best developmental systems in the entire league and have had a ton of success sending young talents who are not getting enough playing time at the NBA level to the G League in order to work on their overall games.
Jordan Poole is just one example of a player on Golden State’s roster that has spent time in the G League early on in his career.
Obviously Wiseman would prefer to be playing for the Warriors in the NBA, but playing with Santa Cruz has really helped the young center with his confidence and his skill.
“I'm focusing on improving in the small areas, just one percent better each day. Setting screens, getting to the dunker spot, protecting the rim more,” Wiseman told reporters recently after being called back up to the NBA on Tuesday. “I feel like I'm getting my rhythm back and my confidence back… I was going out there, working hard, just trying to get better, had so much fun out there. Probably too much fun.”
Going from one of the top recruits in the country out of high school to Memphis, where he only played in three games before being deemed ineligible, to suffering a meniscus injury during his rookie season in the NBA to then suffering setbacks while trying to get back out on the floor a season ago, Wiseman has been through a lot which has stunted his overall growth as a player.
This time he has spent in the G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors was much-needed for him not only from a developmental standpoint, but from a maturity standpoint as well, especially since James Wiseman is only 21-years-old.
“I'm so much more grateful, more appreciative of this moment now to be able to be back up here,” Wiseman said. “I'm just grateful to be back playing at this level, also, being in a small hotel room the last two weeks not doing nothing, I'm just grateful to be back up here in a big-a-- hotel again, be in a great bed again.”
Wiseman did play in the Warriors’ most recent game Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz, but he logged just 5 minutes and only had 3 points on 1-2 shooting. He also grabbed 2 rebounds in this game.
Head coach Steve Kerr seems comfortable and confident with his rotations right now and while Wiseman will certainly get some playing time moving forward, they did recent send him back down to the G League on Thursday following their most recent game, suggesting that the team still wants to maximize the playing time and reps Wiseman can get.
Be sure to catch up on the newest episode of The Fast Break Podcast hosted by Fastbreak's own Brett Siegel!
Streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, The Fast Break Podcast takes you inside the league with the latest news, intel, rumors and interviews from those close to the action for all 30 teams. Be on the lookout for a new episodes every Friday.
