Mike Brown knows the Golden State Warriors selected former Memphis Tigers center James Wiseman with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. With the Warriors already without superstar shooting guard Klay Thompson due to injury, Golden State currently needs all the help it can get, which has thrust Wiseman into the spotlight early on in his NBA playing career.
However, Wiseman has played well while impressing many throughout the NBA landscape. On the other hand, though, Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown understands that Wiseman is still a 19-year-old rookie that needs to continue to get his feet wet atop the highest level.
“We gotta remember he's 19,” Brown recently said on a Bay Area radio station about the Warriors' new draft pick, via NBC Sports. “He played in a couple of college games. We gotta keep having some patience while he grows. And it is tricky because we do want to win, we do want to get off to a good start. [But] we have to keep trying to give him opportunities to experience different game situations in close games down the stretch, and throughout the course of the game. Which is gonna be tricky for us because of his inexperience and us trying to win games.”
Over the course of 10 regular season appearances as a member of the Warriors in 2020-21, Wiseman has averaged 10.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Wiseman is also averaging 20.2 minutes per game in addition to starting all 10 of those contests.
“It's a thing we have in mind what we want to do,” Brown added about the Warriors. “But when things pop up, we make adjustments and we go with what what we feel is right not only for him but for the team and the growth of everybody on this journey.”
As it stands today, the new-look Warriors possess a nearly even 6-4 record while injuries almost immediately derailed the team's efforts in 2019-20. It is no secret that the Warriors are looking to bounce back in a big way this time around with Wiseman slated to serve as a big part of the team's success.
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