The Golden State Warriors used their no. 2 pick to select James Wiseman in the 2020 NBA Draft. The decision to select Wiseman generated mixed feelings at that time, but analysts and fans in general understood why the big man was chosen.

However, it’s unfortunate that the Warriors lost Wiseman to a season-ending injury after the Memphis native suffered a meniscus tear. 

James Wiseman played only 39 games this season and went through ups and downs with the Warriors. He is, after all, still developing and true enough, superstars in today’s NBA took some time themselves before turning out to be the player they are.

The thing is, Wiseman is in a market that plays for championships and is doing its best to maximize Stephen Curry’s prime. How the Warriors approaches this coming offseason will be interesting because Wiseman’s name will for sure be involved. 

That said, here’s what the Warriors probably saw or took away from Wiseman’s first season.

Wiseman isn't where he needs to be for the Warriors to maximize Curry’s prime

The Warriors have a gem in Curry and with Klay Thompson coming back from injury, they have to be as aggressive as they can. We’re not sure if they expected Wiseman to produce quality numbers right away but he did show some potential in his first year as a professional.

James Wiseman averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in his rookie season. While these are almost double-double numbers, the question remains: Is Wiseman’s potential enough to match the core of Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green) next season? 

Wiseman went through a lot in his rookie year

Normally, rookies are selected by rebuilding teams instead of championship caliber ones. It just so happened that Wiseman was chosen by the Warriors, who had a poor 2019-2020 season. Since it’s the Warriors, there will be more eyeballs at him than the usual and boy, did Wiseman go through a lot. 

From being a starter to being benched and lectured by coach Steve Kerr, Wiseman’s rookie season wasn’t all that pretty. It also didn’t help that LaMelo Ball, who was chosen third by the Charlotte Hornets, showed great potential and is likely going to be this season’s Rookie of the Year. Minnesota Timberwolves rookie Anthony Edwards, who was chosen first in the draft,  also made noise and is a candidate for the same award as Ball. 

Wiseman, who was expected to also be in the conversation for this year’s ROY award, could’ve ended his year better. But unfortunately, injuries are unpredictable so the NBA will base judgment on the 39 games that the rookie played. 

The Warriors peaked after Wiseman’s injury

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The Warriors have been playing better as of late, making a push for the NBA Playoffs. Thanks to Curry’s dominance and Green’s leadership on and off the court, the Dubs have improved as of late. At the end of the regular season, they have the fifth best defense in the league and have gotten contributions from their young prospects, namely Juan Toscano-Anderson, Jordan Poole, and the rise of Andrew Wiggins. 

Is it a coincidence that the Warriors’ small ball defense improved after Wiseman’s injury? The stats don’t lie. But it’s also important to note that James Wiseman is developing, especially after only playing less than 10 games in college before entering the NBA. As of writing, the Warriors have been playing their best basketball of the season and have a great chance of setting up a date against the Utah Jazz in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. 

James Wiseman got a first-rate learning experience

For a guy that played less than 10 games in college, Wiseman’s first year in the NBA should teach him a lot of things. He went through the experience of dealing with injuries, playing with pros, being in a franchise that competes for championships and coached by Steve Kerr. Not a lot of rookies go through these in their first year, so this is already an advantage for Wiseman. 

The next goal for Wiseman is to develop his game especially after coming from an injury.

The Warriors' offseason is very hard to predict but they could still make the choice to invest in the young big man, given that they believe he can still fit in Kerr’s system. At least at the end of the day, they know the potential of the 20-year-old but it’s going to boil down to if he can maximize Curry’s prime. 

Ultimately, James Wiseman’s rookie season shouldn’t be a basis to judge how he is a player. All rookies don’t peak right away when they get into the NBA, more so if they were chosen by a contender.