James Wiseman is averaging 15.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 26.1 minutes per game since being sent down to the G League two weeks ago. The Santa Cruz Warriors are 3-2 with him in the lineup after going 2-3 in the first five games of the regular season.
Wiseman, clearly, isn't dominating G League competition the way his status as a top-two draft pick suggests he should.
Still, any signs of development would be welcome considering the gravity of his struggles with the Golden State Warriors over the first month of 2022-23, and Wiseman has at least been producing efficient individual offense with the defending champions' farm team. His per-36 minute stats—20.7 points, 13.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks—even hint at G League stardom.
One problem: The same all-encompassing issue that's plagued Wiseman ever since he first stepped foot on an NBA court has followed him to Monterey Bay.
Wiseman is currently sporting a plus-minus of -35 in the G League. The Warriors have been outscored when he's on the court in all five games he's played, including two when Wiseman's plus-minus was in the double-digit red.
Asked how that trend continuing in the G League factors into Golden State's assessment of Wiseman's progress, Steve Kerr admitted it's not ignored.
“It's all part of it. Part of it is getting reps and understanding rotations and schemes and all that stuff, and then part of it is understanding what impacts winning,” he said after Sunday's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. “I think that's the hardest part for all young players in the NBA, is to learn what impacts winning because that goes beyond just a scheme. Now you're diving into the mentality, and the five-man synergy and what is a group trying to accomplish, what do your teammates do best and how do you bring the best out of them? It really takes all five guys to be in sync for that to happen. So when you just get guys who don't have much experience that's a huge part of the process.”
James Wiseman's rough plus-minus in Santa Cruz has been a point of contention for Dub Nation, many members of which are monitoring his G League assignment with a hyper-critical eye.
Concerns of those fans weren't exactly alleviated on Saturday against the Stockton Kings, when fellow seven-footer Neemias Queta—one of the Sacramento Kings' two-way players—erupted for 38 points and 18 rebounds on 12-of-14 shooting against Santa Cruz. Wiseman finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and one block, going 5-of-11 from the field.
Single-game plus-minus is ripe for noise, but Wiseman's -11 against Queta and the Kings is backed up by the film. There's just no doubting who the better player, and prospect, was in Friday's game between a former No. 2 and No. 39 overall pick, the latter of whom has one less year of professional experience.
It's no secret that Wiseman has a long way to go in terms of understanding two-way nuances of the game. He still needs work in the skill department, too, plus a better grasp of timing as a rebounder and shot-blocker.
Don't close the book on that development coming down the line. But as his performance in both the NBA and G League shows, James Wiseman is still very much a work in progress—one in whom the Warriors maintain long-term belief, but almost definitely won't be helping on their quest for back-to-back titles.
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