James Wiseman Makes Long-Awaited Return in Vegas

In his first NBA-level game in more than a year, Wiseman showed flashes of the enormous potential that could make Golden State even scarier.

LAS VEGAS – Seconds into Golden State’s Summer League game against San Antonio, the Warriors saw exactly what they hoped for: James Wiseman, the 2020 No. 2 overall pick, corralling an alley-oop pass from Jonathan Kuminga and slamming it home. It was Wiseman’s first NBA bucket in more than a year and a reminder that for Golden State, the defending NBA champs, the best could be yet to come.

Wiseman’s final stat line on Sunday: 11 points, two rebounds in a shade under 20 minutes. He made five of his seven shots. He knocked down a three. He collected seven fouls—Summer League rules allow players to commit 10 before they are disqualified—and blocked two shots. Wiseman looked rusty after missing all of last season with a knee injury but showed the kind of explosiveness the Warriors were excited about when they tabbed Wiseman with a high lottery pick.

“It felt good,” Wiseman said. There’s a lot of stuff I gotta work on. When I was out there, my timing was pretty off. But it's my first game. I had fun out there. I could have played more. My conditioning is getting better.”

How Wiseman plays in Summer League isn’t important to Golden State. That he is playing is. Wiseman’s on-court time in recent years has been limited. In 2019, Wiseman played three games at Memphis before being shut down and eventually leaving the program because of eligibility issues. He played in 39 games as a rookie before the knee injury ended his season. And he was in street clothes when the Warriors made their march to the title last season.

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Getting Wiseman, 21, back on the floor, Warriors Summer League coach Jama Mahlalela said, is the first step on the road back.

"For him to be able to come out and play in a Summer League game like today with good composure and playing at the rim, blocking some shots, he just looked like a really good basketball player," said Mahlalela. "That first outing is all we wanted, and we told him to come out, have fun, enjoy the game and let it come to him."

There were shades of the player Wiseman has been projected to be. He hit a fadeaway jumper in the first half. He made an 18-footer from the elbow in the second. With the game close, Wiseman picked up a second dunk late in the fourth quarter. Facing NBA-level physicality, Wiseman looked comfortable.

"It was physical,” Wiseman said. "I've been out, so I've been doing a lot of individual workouts. So for me to just get that pushing, that physical contact, I'm proud to be out there.”

Overcoming the physical hurdles to be able to play were difficult. So, too, were the mental ones. For support, Wiseman leaned on Klay Thompson, his Warriors teammate, and Shaun Livingston, an ex-NBA guard and Golden State executive. Both Thompson and Livingston suffered significant injuries in their playing careers. And both overcame them.

“I got a lot of information from Klay and Shaun,” Wiseman said. Really just to keep my head up and just keep going. Because it's going to be hard, especially coming back after year and a half of not playing. It's going to be pretty difficult … I just told myself that my time is coming. I just was in the gym, just working, trying to work on my game and get better.”

Wiseman’s potential offers Golden State a unique opportunity for internal improvement. With Wiseman, along with Kuminga and Moses Moody, the Warriors have an enviable young core. If all three are ready—Kuminga, a ’21 lottery pick, showed flashes last season—Golden State could have one of the deepest and most talented rotations in the league. Alternatively, the Warriors could look to package its young players in a deal that would return a player fitting the timeline of Thompson, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

That, says Wiseman, isn’t his concern. “I just play basketball,” Wiseman said. “I hoop. That's what I do. I don't worry about too much of media stuff.” The Warriors are just happy to see him playing. His teammates gave Wiseman a standing ovation when he got back to the locker room. Steve Kerr texted him that he played well. For one night, Wiseman was a basketball player again.

“I've been through a lot of hard times,” Wiseman said. “As a person, as a human being. To see everyone was rooting for me just lifted me. It was a great feeling.”