Odds are still against James Wiseman being a regular contributor when it matters most for the Golden State Warriors—at least assuming the defending champions make the playoffs. Stephen Curry's shoulder injury has put everything in flux for the Warriors, including the team's rotation as it searches for ways to weather the storm of his weeks-long absence.

Wiseman was recalled from the G League again before Golden State's loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. His numbers—six points and four rebounds on 3-of-5 shooting in 11 minutes off the bench—don't quite jump off the box score, but the former No. 2 overall draft pick nevertheless made a positive impression on Steve Kerr, doing the little things on both sides of the ball that eluded him in the season's early going.

“I thought James did a really nice job on both ends tonight,” Kerr said. “He got to the dunker, he made himself available. They had several plays where they just stayed back with him and we got open threes early in the fourth when we put him out there. We had three or four open threes and one of the reasons they were open is because James was right at the rim and as that lob threat, the defense pulled in. And I thought he did a nice job defensively, too, kind of playing cat and mouse on pick-and-roll.

“He's gotten a lot better over the last few weeks with all the practicing in Santa Cruz and the game action, the reps. It was fun to watch James play.”

Kerr also announced after the game that Wiseman would remain with the Warriors for the duration of their current road trip. Golden State goes north of the border to face the struggling Toronto Raptors on Sunday, then finishes the trip with games against the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets before returning home to the Bay for its Christmas matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies.

James Wiseman turned heads during his most recent stint with the Santa Cruz Warriors, a much-needed turnaround after struggling upon his initial G League assignment in early November. He averaged 26.3 points and 10.7 rebounds on 80 percent shooting over his last three games with the Sea Dubs, dominating around the rim offensively while showing clear improvement as a screen-setter and pick-and-roll defender.

As much as Golden State would benefit from Wiseman duplicating that stellar production in the NBA, even in more limited playing time, that's asking too much of a young player still clearly in the developmental stage of his career. The Warriors don't have much room for another traditional center, either, with Kevon Looney fully deserving of his starting spot and their need to play Draymond Green at small-ball 5.

But just because Wiseman is highly unlikely to be a nightly part of the Warriors' regular rotation this season doesn't mean he can't carve out a role on the NBA roster—for now, at least—by continuing his encouraging play over the next three games.

Wiseman needs minutes more than anything else to continue improving, and Curry's sidelining could make it easier for him to be effective in a somewhat simplified offensive attack. Kerr might give him a longer leash defensively with the knowledge the Warriors won't be at full-strength until Curry is back in the lineup, too.

Needless to say, keep an eye on James Wiseman on the back half of Golden State's road trip. There's a good chance he spends more time in the G League no matter how he performs, but showing further growth may at least give Kerr more confidence Wiseman could help the Warriors in certain games, against specific teams as the 82-game grind wears on.

[h/t NBC Sports Bay Area]