The Golden State Warriors remain a long way away from regretting the James Wiseman trade. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft hasn't lived up to that billing since the Dubs moved on from him at last year's trade deadline, searching for a consistent role with the lowly Detroit Pistons.

Wiseman returns to the Bay on Friday for the first time as an opponent. Asked how he's grown the most after leaving the Warriors, Wiseman pointed to the nuances of NBA basketball he never quite learned during a two-and-a-half-season stint in Golden State.

“Really just my defense and just being able to stay active, me as a player—running the floor, getting rebounds,” Wiseman said, per Jason Dumas of KRON 4. “Really just focusing on the small details of my game. I feel like that's gonna make a difference.

James Wiseman's role with Pistons after Warriors exit

James Wiseman, Detroit Pistons

Wiseman holds no ill will toward Golden State despite his highly forgettable tenure in blue and gold.

He was out of the rotation when the Warriors effectively swapped him for Gary Payton II last year, affording Wiseman the chance for crucial developmental minutes while adding another versatile, disruptive defender who's intimately familiar with the team's unique style of play. The 22-year-old says he's in regular contact with “really everybody” on his former team, too and “can't wait to see 'em.”

Unlike many players who face their former teams for the first time, though, Wiseman isn't relishing the chance to beat the Warriors. He just wants to help the Pistons avoid the same losing fate they've experienced again and again and again during a disastrous start to 2023-24.

“The same mindset. I wanna win. I'm trying to get a win for the team,” Wiseman said. “We've been having a lot of hard times down this stretch, but just trying to get a win. That's what I'm worried about.”

Wiseman is averaging 6.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in 14.3 minutes per game during his first full season in Detroit, splitting backup center duties behind Jalen Duren with fellow former top-five pick Marvin Bagley III. He's shooting 71 percent from the field, among the highest individual marks in the league.

Honing the subtle details of basketball at its highest level has remained an ongoing process for Wiseman, though. Most of the deficiencies that prevented him from ever earning a full-time role under Steve Kerr when the Warriors were full strength are still at play.

Wiseman has struggled splitting the difference between the ball and his man as a pick-and-roll defender, is a rudimentary screener at best, and struggles to create advantages for his team as a dribble handoff operator or short-roll passer. He's close to a black hole offensively and a debilitating minus on the other end.

Needless to say, Wiseman just hasn't shown enough to be counted on as a nightly rotation player. For all the physical gifts and nascent skill with the ball that once made him a foundational building block in Golden State, Wiseman lacks the natural feel and instincts all players need to be successful. Even if he improves with the Pistons, don't count on that changing any time soon.