Warriors: Rookie James Wiseman has no timeline to return after knee injury

Golden State Warriors rookie James Wiseman will miss significant time with his knee injury.

There is a strong possibility Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman’s rookie season is over.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports Wiseman has suffered a meniscus injury to his right knee. While no timetable has been set for his return, the medical staff will be evaluating the injury to see if he can come back at the tail-end of the regular season. With the Warriors fighting for their playoff lives, his rookie season may have just come to an end after only 39 games played.

This is an injury the Warriors could not afford to have, as the rotation has been further depleted.

Golden State Warriors: Can they make the playoffs without James Wiseman?

Golden State will enter play on Monday night vs. the Denver Nuggets with a sub-.500 record of 25-28. As of Sunday afternoon, this mark is good enough for the No. 10 spot in the deep Western Conference. This means the Warriors would take part in the play-in portion of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. They are only 1.5 games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans for the last spot in.

In his rookie year out of Memphis, Wiseman was averaging 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 21.4 minutes per contest. He started 27 of the 39 games he played for the Warriors this season. Even though he was the No. 2 overall pick in this past summer’s NBA Draft, Golden State has had to lean on him more than expected. Now, he will be sitting out going forward.

While the Warriors can survive without him, Wiseman’s injury decreases their razor-thin margin for error.