James Wiseman's Case for Knicks Roster Spot Is Now Clear as Day

The Knicks have one roster spot left to fill, and it will more than likely go to a third center. James Wiseman fits that profile.

At 25 years old, he's showing that he can handle the role, and the film backs it up. I want to walk you through how, from the skills that translate to the areas that still need polish.

Lob man/finishing

Wiseman’s athleticism and length separate him from both Drew Eubanks and Tony Bradley. For context, he stands between 6'11" and 7'0" with a 7'6" wingspan and a 9'6" standing reach.

He tops both centers in all three measurements, which allows him play above the rim more comfortably than them. We see his dunker presence in this play pressuring behind the big as he goes to help the drive.

Even back in his prospect days, Wiseman showed a big catch radius and good hands to finish near the basket while using his length and size. He's also deceptive in the sense that he looks skinnier than his weight suggests.

At almost 240 pounds on a seven-foot frame, he has enough NBA size to move around with other bigs, and he does this well near the rim. In the video, the passer throws a high pass up for Wiseman to grab. He comes down with it, gains control quickly, absorbs the contact, and makes the shot.

His screening has been fine, though his feet can get choppy on both offense and defense, and he moves sporadically at times. I don’t think it's a mobility issue. Instead, he needs to pace himself with his legs catching up in coverage or while setting a screen.

Wiseman can get handsy on screens — Wiseman gets handsy on screens | via video NBA,com

This lag can make him handsy and risks offensive fouls. Overall, though, his mobility on rim running and screening get him behind defenders and let him rise up.

Take another very physical possession, where he absorbs multiple bumps before finishing through contact. His touch from the short midrange has always flashed.

In his last full year with Detroit, 2023-24, he shot 51% from 3-10 feet on 132 attempts. So he's not this one-dimensional offensive player who only goes up for lobs. He operates comfortably farther from the basket.

This play was among my favorites from Tuesday night. He steps up quickly for the screen, hustles into the action, and does the dirty work of bodying up the smaller defender for the offensive rebound. He hasn’t shown any lack of motor, a real positive. Most of his flaws comeback to technique or lateral issues.

Pick-and-roll defense

Wiseman has had solid coverage outings so far. We see good ability to get up at the screen (level), retreat, flip his hips when needed, and arms out and down denying the roll. He's never really been a high stocks (steals + blocks) guy, so he's mostly going to rely on keeping the handler in front.

Once again, a little jumpy or choppy with his footwork at times, but nothing that can't be ironed out or helped by better point of attack and help defense.

Ending thoughts

Wiseman has shown enough to beat out his competition. Couple with the fact that he hasn't hit his prime years yet and there can be potential for a long-term stay as long as there's continued progression and positive play.

That makes him the perfect person to pick from this tryout group to bring onto the main roster.

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