Why James Wiseman’s preseason debut has the Golden State Warriors in awe

it’s just preseasonbut James Wiseman has shown very well to Golden State’s win over Washington (96-87) This Friday, in Tokyo.

In the first of two games between the Warriors and Wizards as part of the 2022 Japan Games, Wiseman He played 23 minutes as a reserve and was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points, 8-11 from the field.. He also grabbed 9 rebounds, tied with Rui Hachimura for the game leader.

Five of Wiseman’s eight field goals came at the rim, and one of those efforts came at the long arms of Kristaps Porzingis, who has blocked his share of shots over the past seven years.

The 2020 draft pick saw his rookie season end due to a torn meniscus in his right knee. He underwent additional surgery in the 2021-2022 season and ended up sitting out all 82 games.

Wiseman returned for four games in this year’s Summer League, but was limited to 19.9 minutes per game. With nearly a year and a half since the inside guard first suffered his knee injury, it’s no wonder the Warriors were truly in awe of his performance on Friday.

“James has had some really good training days”coach Steve Kerr said of Wiseman. “He just understands space and defensive communication, he’s in the right position. He has a much better feel for the NBA game now than he did a few years ago, and for good reason: He puts in a lot of work.” Obviously, last year, despite the injury, he was studying, watching tape and learning from our seniors.” he added.

“I couldn’t be happier for James. He’s done a good job, he’s put in a lot of work and to see it pay off in the first pre-season game is fantastic.”Kerr closed.

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Will Wiseman be in the Warriors rotation this season?

Yes, Wiseman will have a chance to work his way into Golden State’s rotation this season. Kerr made it clear early on that Kevon Looney will remain the team’s starter.but Wiseman will be the first center off the bench.

While the youngster is still a developing player, he adds a dimension the Warriors haven’t had in a long time: vertical space. With the amount of attention that Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green attract, he could do a lot of damage simply as a cutter, going to the rim or as a rebounder.

In fact, he showed it against the Wizards.

The story is similar at the other end of the pitch. The Warriors are already one of the best defensive teams in the league, but Wiseman might be the team’s best shot-blocker behind Andrew Bogut and JaVale McGee.

It’s pretty scary to think what the Warriors will look like if Wiseman can start to show his full potential.

The views expressed here do not necessarily represent the NBA or its organizations.