The Golden State Warriors are visibly thin on their front line rotation to begin the 2020-21 NBA season. Upon assessing the team's roster, only James Wiseman and Kevon Looney can match up with opposing big men in terms of height and physicality. However, Draymond Green and Eric Paschall were often called upon to slot in the five position whenever head coach Steve Kerr wanted to switch to a small-ball scheme.
In order to have another contributor in the paint, the Warriors can opt to acquire free-agent center Dewayne Dedmon for the remainder of the season. Looking back in hindsight, the Dubs turned to Wiseman to fill in the void under the ring after selecting him as the 2nd overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Wiseman has been playing solid basketball for the Warriors and has already carved a starting role with the team. Although he will still need to gain more consistency, Wiseman is already averaging norms of 12.2 points and 6.1 rebounds in 20 games played. There is still room for improvement in his game but it is understandable since the team didn't have that much of an offseason to practice their schemes with him on their lineup.
However, the 19-year-old suffered a wrist injury midway through their game against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night. He went up for a dunk from a Draymond Green pass and successfully made the basket but eventually landed awkwardly on the floor. He managed to sink the bonus free throw but was visibly hurt after holding onto his left wrist for quite a while.
After the game, Wiseman will reportedly miss a minimum of seven to 10 days in order to attend to his injury. That will only leave Looney as the only legitimate big man on the Warriors' roster. He has been averaging 3.7 points and 4.1 rebounds in 21 appearances this season. However, he is also out with an ankle sprain which he suffered during their game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night.
A potential replacement could be Dedmon who last saw action with the Atlanta Hawks last season. He recorded norms of 8.1 points and 8.2 rebounds in 10 appearances for the team. It turned out to be a short stint in Atlanta as Dedmon eventually found himself on the trading block.
He was dealt away to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Tony Snell and Khyri Thomas in November of 2020. However, he failed to suit up for the team as he was waived by the Pistons four days later. After failing to secure a contract heading to the 2020-21 season, the 31-year-old remains to be one of the best free agents available today.
The Warriors could still acquire him for a veteran minimum deal to start under center until both James Wiseman and Kevon Looney make it back on the floor. Although the Dubs are already used to playing small-ball schemes, having a reliable contributor in the paint will certainly help them to win more games moving forward.
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