Central rookie James Wiseman says he gets a blast from the Warriors’ recent dynastic past every day.
Wiseman revealed to reporters on Monday in his videoconference that he talks regularly with Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, whose three seasons in the Bay Area included three trips to the NBA finals, two championships and two final MVP awards.
Not that you, Wiseman or Durant need a reminder.
“I talk to KD every day,” said Wiseman. “We talked about the system, how it managed to fit into the system here, and it just gives me a lot of advice and, really, a lot more players in the league give me a lot of good advice.”
Durant was a warrior and Wiseman was a rising high school veteran when the two met in 2018. Not far from his second NBA Finals MVP award in a few years, Durant advised and encouraged Wiseman and the future Illinois star Kofi Cockburn in a video for overtime.
But Durant, more critically, offered his ears as well, telling potential customers that they had the potential to reach the NBA and that they could reach it at any time.
“What I see when I see you play is that your engine needs to be running every time you step on the court, because you are bigger than everyone and more athletic and skillful,” Durant told Wiseman. “They have to see this every time you come on the court.
“Blocking pitches, hitting the ball, playing tenaciously, submitting, running on the court, you know what I’m saying? That’s what makes you a beast. … You have to put fear in these guys because you are big, you know What am I saying? “
Advancing nearly three years, Wiseman has played against Durant twice. Wiseman said he also received great advice from one of Durant’s current teammates after those fights.
“I would say Kyrie Irving,” said Wiseman when asked which veteran opponent gave him the best advice. “[He] he told me that in order to separate from class I have to make an effort and continue to work. Keep putting more [hours] and things in my craft, and just working hard every day. “
RELATED: Wiseman Talks Friendship with Gonzaga’s Suggs
Durant and Irving carried the expectations of a franchise on their shoulders as teenagers, and Irving’s experience, in particular, seems particularly applicable to Wiseman, considering that the Cleveland Cavaliers summoned the shipowner not even a year after LeBron James brought his talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat. Wiseman, likewise, is seen as the core successor to the Warriors’ championship of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
Although Durant certainly could not have known that Wiseman would eventually become a Warrior, he still somehow prepared the great man for the experience during the initial conversation.
“This is the shot you two need to start shooting,” Durant told Wiseman and Cockburn at the time about expanding his range to 15 feet. “When you play in the league now, you’re going to start picking and rolling, and you’re going to be playing with a [Russell] Westbrook, Steph Curry or Kyrie Irving. … You will not get all the attention in these pick and roll. You are going to have to go somewhere and drop that ‘J’. “
No wonder Wiseman still hears it.
Download and subscribe to the Dubs Talk Podcast