In 15 NBA games of the season, James Wiseman, like the Warriors, had his ups and downs.
The 2.13-meter center rookie showed an impressive array of skills, while learning some difficult lessons while making the transition to the NBA after just three college games.
Wiseman played the best game of his career so far on Wednesday, when he scored 20 points in the Warriors’ victory over the San Antonio Spurs. He was one of the NBA’s most impressive rookies from the start and, despite some obstacles along the way, is “ahead of schedule” in the eyes of ESPN draft expert Mike Schmitz.
“He is ahead of what I expected,” Schmitz told Zach Lowe on the podcast “The Lowe Post”. “I just thought that such a long layoff, such a short university career and someone who in the past has had a hard time reading the game quickly – which is still something he needs to improve a lot – but just the fact that he has been able to enter a game 20 minutes per game of that caliber of a team, as if I had underestimated how lethal his physical tools are. He’s already in a class of his own. How impactful it is as a lob-catcher, as a rim guard , like a hoop runner when he’s not in position and when he’s playing fast as we’ve seen. He’s much better than I expected.
“With James, the thought was always, and Memphis coaches would say that, they would always say, ‘If he goes to Golden State, he will be amazing.’ If he goes somewhere else where the culture is not good and he doesn’t have great vets around him, then he really will have a hard time. … If he was in a different situation, we would probably see a lot more of the problem in the mid-post, wait, falling jump, and the lack of repercussion and the lack of engine sometimes, I think it would be more apparent than in Golden State. “
At 21.2 minutes per game, Wiseman has averaged 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game so far this season. Although Wiseman’s track and field has been impressive from the start, it is clear that the 19-year-old still has a lot to grow as an NBA center. Still, the Warriors were encouraged by their confidence and their ability to recover from difficult matches, and it is clear that Steph Curry, Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr see a bright future for the big boys.
If Wiseman continues to grow as expected in the culture of the warriors, the only question will be what kind of great he will eventually become.
“He has all these little encouraging things,” said Schmitz. “Like the shot. Is he going to be like a tough diver and a pop guy? He’s going – so we see the ball handling. Is he going to be a guy who can really push the transition or is he just faking a DHO here and there and then coming down Then, as he passed, he finally did a good read against the Spurs at a back door and I think he ended up with four assists. Is this going to evolve? From my point of view, you look at the best NBA bigwigs. your guys who run and jump, your Chapel, Jarrett Allen, Mitchell Robinson, that kind of guy, but the best big guys can kind of create their own and make it easy, whether it’s Jokic, AD, Giannis, Karl Towns, Embiid. will he become just a super elite DeAndre Jordan? For them, will he be that with a little more skill or will he be one of That kind of guys? “
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Wiseman showed a plethora of skills from the start, and playing alongside Curry and Green should take some of the pressure off him. He has only played 18 games since graduating from high school, so he still has a long way to go to become a finished product. He’s been shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from the 3-point range from the start. He has shown the ability to handle the ball in transition and has the ability to facilitate the attack.
Measuring the NBA ceiling after 15 games is impossible and, frankly, a foolish mission. But the Warriors were clearly the perfect place for Wiseman to land and he should be able to grow and become the best version of himself with Curry, Green and Kerr helping every step of the way.
Wiseman has studied all kinds of NBA greats, from Anthony Davis to Myles Turner, hoping to emulate the best parts of his games. He has all the skills to be one of the best big shots in the NBA. Right now, I would say that Wiseman becoming a super-elite version of Jordan should be his word. He is more skilled than Jordan and has the ability to impact the game in more ways than with his athletics.
Will he become a superstar like Davis or Jokic? He has the skill, for sure. It is easy to see Giannis Antetokounmpo’s tones in his game and how he can develop from an athletic and slim perspective to a superstar. But it depends on Wiseman and the Warriors.
If he works, and there’s no reason to think he’s not focused on realizing his potential, the Warriors will have one of the next elite centers in the NBA.
Of course, Wiseman has all the talent to be great, and Green and Curry will need him to become one of the great specials early in his career to give them a real chance to rekindle the dynasty.
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