James Wiseman turns 20 years old Wednesday. For the occasion, he received a piece by Anthony Slater of The Athletic examining his maturity and developmental expectations from within the Golden State Warriors organization, as the franchise aims to contend next season with Klay Thompson back in the mix.
Damn bro. The kid just woke up on his bday. U gotta relax https://t.co/y90Fk3yajs
— Juan Toscano Anderson (@juanonjuan10) March 31, 2021
One of the questions Slater raised is whether Wiseman can develop effective pick-and-roll chemistry with Stephen Curry. Steph, Draymond Green and other personnel preach patience, experience, and reps.
On Wednesday, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr used his own analogy to describe Wiseman's development track:
“We want to continue to run plenty of pick-and-roll… I think James (Wiseman) is starting to get comfortable with the timing… that's the growth we've been looking for,” the Warriors tactician said, via Wes Goldberg of the Mercury News.
“I just feel like James (Wiseman) has to run his race and he can't run anyone else's race. We can't force his development.”
Two-thirds of the way through his first NBA season, the talented center has validated the decision to take him with the no. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft—despite playing just two games at the University of Memphis.
In 33 games (21 starts), the Warriors rookie has put up 11.8 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He has also shown glimpses of the dynamic two-way force he can become. However, a wrist injury has limited him to fewer than half the minutes of no. 1 pick Anthony Edwards, as Slater noted.
For all the alluring talent and athleticism, Wiseman still has plenty of room to grow—in his head as much as his game. The Warriors were openly irked that Wiseman missed a COVID-19 test during the All-Star break.
Overall, though, the Warriors are rightfully encouraged by Wiseman's performance. Golden State (23-24) entered Wednesday in the no. 10 seed in the Western Conference, trailing the no. 8-seeded San Antonio Spurs (23-21) by three games in the loss column.
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