James Wiseman is finally set to get a taste of his first game action after nearly a full calendar year on the shelf nursing a major knee injury. The Golden State Warriors' prized big man is set to make his debut on Thursday for the Dubs' NBA G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. This is all part of the team's plan to prepare him for his actual season debut for the Warriors which now appears to be forthcoming.

According to Santa Cruz head coach Seth Cooper, he's “most excited” about just being able to see Wiseman take the court again after such a lengthy rehab process. Cooper said that he expects Wiseman to play between 20 and 25 minutes in his debut. It's likely that his minutes limit gradually increases as he gets more games in.

For Cooper, however, the objective is abundantly clear. Santa Cruz is currently fighting for a spot in the G League Playoffs and as much as they'd like to get some NBA-level production from Wiseman, Cooper is staying faithful to the game plan:

“People have some expectations for him, but for him it's not about coming out here and playing in a way that he's not gonna come and play for the Warriors,” Cooper said, via Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports. “It's about building him up and him being able to be ready to play for them and make an impact there when that happens.”

Cooper continued by saying that he intends to monitor Wiseman's minutes strictly. They want him to contribute to the team, but at the end of the day, the priority remains to be his rehab:

“We want him out there at the end of the game, but if that doesn't make sense for his rehab to have him sitting on the sidelines for long periods of time, we'll try and avoid that,” Cooper said. “He'll be playing in some solid blocks, but not having him sit out too long of actual time in a row where he gets cold and not warm and not loose.”

Cooper also revealed what type of mindset he wants Wiseman to take ahead of his stint with Santa Cruz. As he said, there will be a lot of pressure on this young man, and all eyes will be on him as he tries to make significant progress in the G League. However, Cooper wants Wiseman to keep his eyes fixed on the objective at hand:

“Play in a way that's gonna help you, that you're gonna be able to play if you got thrown into a Warriors game in two days,” Cooper said. “Not for him to think, ‘Oh, I'm the second pick in the draft. I have to go down there and dominate.'

“It's more of, just go out there and play in a role where when you're playing with Steph Curry, you're going to be successful.”

The Warriors have been non-committal as of yet with regard to Wiseman's target return date. They do not want to add further pressure on this kid, who has worked extremely hard to get back to game shape after a career-threatening injury. Nevertheless, it is clear that the former second overall pick is nearing his return for the Warriors and it cannot come at a more opportune time.