Warriors' Future Will Depend on James Wiseman's Development
By Peter Dewey
James Wiseman’s rookie season for the Golden State Warriors was a trying one. The young center struggled at times to find his game on both ends, and he eventually went down for the season with a knee injury in early April.
Wiseman didn’t find himself in the running for NBA Rookie of the Year, and WynnBET had the two rookies who were drafted in front and behind him, Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball, as the favorites for the award.
The Warriors still view Wiseman as an important part of their future, and general manager Bob Myers does not plan on moving Wiseman this coming offseason.
Myers says he does not expect to trade Wiseman this summer. “I expect him to be on the team next year.”
— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) May 24, 2021
Myers is committed to his 20-year-old center, but the clock is ticking for Wiseman to become a valuable contributor for Golden State. The Warriors wasted an MVP-caliber year from Steph Curry, and missed the playoffs by losing two straight games in the play-in tournament.
Golden State was much better this season when Wiseman was off the floor, as his on/off numbers are startling. The Warriors had an offensive rating of 103.0 when Wiseman was on the floor, but they improved to 114.2 without him. That’s a -11.2 difference, and it shows why Golden State made a run down the stretch of the season with Kevon Looney and Draymond Green as the team’s primary centers.
It’s early in Wiseman’s career, but if Myers and the Warriors don’t want to trade him to get someone that will help them win now, then the team’s future hinges a lot on his development.
Golden State has a few more seasons of Curry in his prime, and Klay Thompson is a wild card after suffering season-ending injuries in back-to-back years. The Kelly Oubre experiment was underwhelming, and the two play-in losses showed that Curry needs to have someone else that can consistently score alongside him in the Warriors’ offense.
Thompson’s return will certainly improve the roster, but the Warriors will need Wiseman to make a major leap if they want to contend for a title in 2021. If he doesn’t, it may make sense to move him for someone that will maximize Curry’s prime before the door completely closes on the Warriors’ dynasty.