Wiseman checks boxes during ‘dream’ return, even in G League originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
STOCKTON — While the Warriors won a nail-biter in Denver against the Nuggets on Thursday night, James Wiseman, their No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, admittedly was nervous before his own game. The 20-year-old center was back on the floor, making his G League debut with the Santa Cruz Warriors, his first game action in 11 months following surgery on his right meniscus last April and then a clean-up procedure in December.
To fight off the nerves, Wiseman meditated before the game and got buckets with Kevin Durant the night before playing NBA 2K — a fitting distraction, especially for someone still so young.
Wiseman had to fight off some rust early in a 109-99 loss to the Stockton Kings, missing his first few shots. Then, he found his groove.
His first bucket was a six-foot hook shot towards the end of the first quarter.
His final points of the night came on his most impressive shot, a 16-foot jumper at the 7:03 mark in the fourth quarter.
His favorite play was a putback dunk where he missed his first attempt on the left side, grabbed his own rebound and immediately threw it down with ferocity.
“It reminded me of myself,” Wiseman said of the putback dunk, letting his smile shine bright.
His best overall sequence came in the fourth quarter when he contested a shot at the rim, immediately sprinted down the floor and added another dunk when Chris Chiozza saw the big man wide open and ready for two more points.
“Man, it felt like a dream,” Wiseman said of his first game back. “It had been like 10 months to a year, and I was just shocked to be out there. But I was grateful and super appreciative to be out there as well.”
All in all, the positives certainly outweighed the negatives. Wiseman’s box score stats were solid, putting up 18 points (7-for-13) with six rebounds and he easily could have had more boards if teammates let him. The 7-footer said he has gained 10 to 15 pounds of muscle and can feel the difference in his rebounding. He made both of his free throw attempts and was a team-high plus-9 in plus-minus.
Most importantly, Wiseman played 21 minutes and said he felt great physically during the game and after. He was seen bending over for air early in the third quarter after a first half of moving well, but then was rejuvenated when the fourth quarter started after working with Warriors director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini on the sidelines.
“Just great to see him playing basketball out there again,” Santa Cruz coach Seth Cooper said after the game. “To me, it’s just exciting to see him back on the court.”
Now, Wiseman’s return to the court didn’t come without any miscues. He made a bad foul when he was outrebounded on a missed free throw, left his feet and knew his mistake immediately in mid-air. He fumbled an entry pass into the post and missed both of his 3-point attempts, with the second being a bit unnecessary after dribbling through his legs and then misfiring from the top of the arc.
Cooper believes those errors will gradually go away and wouldn’t be surprised to see improvements when Wiseman plays again Sunday, this time against the G League Ignite. He reiterated this is a player who still hasn’t had a training camp or Summer League after playing not even a handful of college games. The talent again proved to be there, just as patience will be needed from the Warriors’ fan base, as difficult as that might be at times.
The only downside to the night for Wiseman was when he hit his minutes restriction and had to come out, just as he seemed to be hitting his stride.
“I was super upset,” Wiseman said semi-sarcastically. “I’m like, ‘Bro, I’m trying to get some burn, get some more burn.’ But it’s all good. All glory be to God, I’m just grafeful to be out there playing.”
RELATED: Takeaways from Wiseman’s G League debut with Sea Dubs
Truth is, Wiseman never was supposed to be here. Since early in his high school career, he has been a touted top prospect who started his first game as a rookie and scored 19 points at 19 years old in the Warriors’ opener last season. The start to his NBA career has seen him deal with more adversity than desired, though he sees his time in the G League as an opportunity to be the best version of himself, for however long he might be here.
Golden State only committed to Wiseman playing with Santa Cruz Thursday and Sunday, and Cooper said that’s all he knows so far. The plan according to Cooper is for Wiseman to play in Stockton as he did, go back with the team to Santa Cruz and watch film with Friday being an off-day on the court, practice Saturday and play Sunday. After that, we’ll see.
Wiseman’s plan? Go play some more 2K and bring the buckets from his screen to the hardwood.
The life of a 20-year-old hooper.
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