Golden State Warriors rookie center James Wiseman readily acknowledged he needed members of the organization to remind him of his talent.
Wiseman said during the latest episode of his rookie diary for The Undefeated he needed reinforcement when it came to his talent and abilities. The No. 2 overall pick said he understands what he is capable of, but felt added motivation when he received encouragement from the Warriors:
“The craziest thing about that is, and they had to tell me about that, because it drives me,” Wiseman said, via Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. “It fuels me to keep going and just work even harder.”
The Warriors appear to be signaling Wiseman will be a critical part of their future. President of basketball operations Bob Myers suggested as much earlier this month.
Wiseman said he felt a bit vindicated when Myers told reporters the team had no intention of trading its young center, adding it gave him that much more confidence.
Golden State will likely relish an emboldened Wiseman, so long as he makes a full recovery from his torn meniscus suffered in April. Wiseman said in his diary the injury took a toll on his mental well-being, but also stated he is excited to come back stronger.
The Warriors center averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 39 games with the Dubs this season. But while the numbers might not jump off the page, the talent was a sight to behold.
Wiseman has exceptional athleticism for someone with his size and is a true asset as someone who runs the floor and can roll to the rim. His ceiling is quite high should he continue to evolve as a perimeter shooter and rim protector.
The Warriors will likely hope to keep inspiring greater confidence in Wiseman as he looks to make gains in his sophomore campaign.
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