The seemingly inevitable demotion of Warriors center James Wiseman to the G League came to fruition after Golden State's rout of the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night.
Coach Steve Kerr said Wiseman's stay with the Santa Cruz Warriors would be for an "extended" time of at least 10 days in order to give him sufficient reps, with the aim of improving and refining his game.
Kerr maintained that he's a "huge believer" in Wiseman's ability and sounded confident he would be back in the rotation in relatively short order. He also added that the third-year center has "incredible" character and work ethic.
Kerr's assurances were probably intended to soften the blow for the 21-year-old Wiseman, though based on the projected duration of the assignment, it doesn't sound like a long-term deal.
The move has been in the offing for at least a couple weeks, with Wiseman's minutes being curbed precipitously since late October. After averaging a modest 17 minutes through the Dubs' first five games, Wiseman has averaged just 10.5 in their last six contests.
Wiseman's slow development has been a disappointment after he was the second overall pick in 2020, ahead of several budding young stars in LaMelo Ball, Devin Vassell, Tyrese Haliburton and Tyrese Maxey. Several others have shown flashes or made contributions off the bench, including Saddiq Bey, Onyeka Okongwu, Obi Toppin, Cole Anthony, and Josh Green.
Still, there is plenty of time left for Wiseman to harness his seemingly immense potential. He played in just three college games at Memphis, and after some flashes of promise in his rookie campaign with the Warriors, he missed all of his second professional season due to knee surgery.
So, to write him off given his relatively young age and how little he's played would probably be hasty.
But, fair or not, Wiseman's early-career struggles are notable given the expectations foisted on early lottery picks.
The news of Wiseman's demotion was a hot topic in basketball circles, including his teammates, one of which -- Jordan Poole -- emphatically argued Wiseman would benefit from it.
Elsewhere, journalists and fans on social media discussed what the move meant for both the seven-footer and the Warriors:
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram