James Wiseman's tenure as a nightly member of the Golden State Warriors' rotation has been interrupted. The good news is that his time on the sideline seems poised to be brief.
Wiseman will miss Friday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers after rolling his left ankle playing 3-on-3 in practice, Steve Kerr told reporters during pregame media availability. Thankfully, the third-year big man likely avoided major injury, with Kerr stressing that Wiseman's sprain doesn't seem too serious.
Wiseman has been pressed into action of late as Golden State has dealt with absences to multiple starters and key rotation players. Andrew Wiggins hasn't played since December 3rd while managing right adductor soreness and a subsequent illness. Steph Curry remains sidelined with the left shoulder injury he suffered in a December 14th loss to the Indiana Pacers, likely to be re-evaluated in the next week or so. JaMychal Green has been out due to illness since December 18th.
Wiseman has played in every game for Golden State since being recalled from the G League on December 15th. He's averaging 7.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 12.7 minutes off the bench over that seven-game stretch, shooting 64.7% from the field. While Wiseman has certainly been better on both ends than he was during his disastrous start to 2022-23, it's clear he still has a long way to go before carving out a regular niche in the lineup when the Warriors are at full-strength.
Expect Jonathan Kuminga to see time at small-ball five with both James Wiseman and JaMychal Green sidelined, especially when Portland center Jusuf Nurkic is off the floor. Otherwise, both Kevon Looney and Draymond Green should see heavy minutes at center versus the Blazers.
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