Myers explains why Warriors remain confident in Wiseman originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The Warriors are not panicking with James Wiseman just yet.
Through the first few weeks of the 2022-23 NBA season, the former No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft has, by most accounts, disappointed in limited action thus far.
In an exclusive interview with The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, Warriors general manager Bob Myers discussed Wiseman’s early struggles, why Golden State is not concerned just yet, and what Wiseman needs in order to find his footing.
“If he had more runway, I think I’d be a little more concerned,” Myers told Kawakami. “But there’s still not a lot of games. I think whether it’s James or young bigs in the league or any player at any position, young baseball players getting at-bats, football quarterbacks needing reps, same thing with James. Some players come in and get it right away. I think it’s rare.”
“I would say that James needs to play. And Steve’s trying to figure out how to do that. We’ve seen the growth over the last few months, preseason, start of the season, then he hit a little rut the last few games. But we’re not ready to get super-concerned. We just think he needs to play. Steve believes in him; we believe in him.”
In 10 games played this season, Wiseman is averaging 7.3 points, 4 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game in 13.8 minutes on the court. Overall, the 21-year-old center has a plus-minus of minus-69.
The results might not be there yet, but Myers and the Warriors have seen the hard work Wiseman is putting in behind the scenes, which gives Golden State confidence that its raw, yet talented, prospect eventually will find his footing in the NBA.
“But he has the talent, he has the desire, he has the work ethic,” Myers added. “He’s a good kid. I would be more concerned if I thought he wasn’t putting in the work outside of the games. But he is. And he cares. And it’s just going to have to run its course.”
“James’ journey will be fine. I can’t tell you when it’ll all come together. But I am not worried. Because his approach gives us a lot of confidence. It should give him confidence.”
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Wiseman played just 39 games in his rookie 2020-21 season before sustaining a season-ending knee injury that eventually sidelined him for the entire 2021-22 season after multiple setbacks. Now healthy and ready to continue his development, the young center still only has 49 games to his NBA resume, which collectively equates to just over half a season of experience.
The Warriors are preaching patience with their former top draft pick and will give him every opportunity to continue his development on a championship-caliber team.
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