All eyes are on James Wiseman as the third-year center gears up for Summer League action.
Golden State Summer League head coach Jama Mahlalela joined 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” to give the latest update on the 21-year-old, who didn’t appear in the team’s three California Classic games at Chase Center last week.
So, when can we expect to see Wiseman return to the floor? The Warriors open Summer League action on Friday at 5 p.m. PT against the New York Knicks before coming back on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. PT, which you can hear on 95.7 The Game.
“I think he’s not gonna play the first game of Summer League, we all know that,” Mahlalela told Mark Willard and Larry Krueger, filling in for Dan Dibley. “But he's trending well to play after that. I'm not sure if it'll be Game 2 or Game 3, but the guy's really put his head down and his body's doing really great. So we’ll see. In the coming days he’ll definitely get out on the court. We’re so excited for it.”
Mahlalela also detailed what Wiseman’s workload is currently like, as he is about 15 months removed from a tear in his right meniscus.
“The guy’s making amazing progress,” Mahlalela said. “We’re doing scrimmages with some guys on our roster and some guys on our Summer League team. He’s been playing a day, resting a day, playing a day, resting a day. He’s doing really well.”
The Warriors shared video of Wiseman sinking a 3-pointer in Thursday's scrimmage.
The Athletic's Marcus Thompson II tweeted out his observations from Thursday's scrimmage in Las Vegas, saying Wiseman had good touch but still needs to improve his conditioning.
Wiseman appeared in three G League games in March before being shut down for the season, wiping out his entire second NBA season. He seemed to hit a wall in his rehab in November of last year and underwent a cleanout procedure in December. Warriors president/general manager Bob Myers also reportedly flew to London with Wiseman in April so he could get a platelet-rich plasma injection to stimulate recovery in his knee.
In 39 games during his rocky rookie campaign, the No. 2 overall pick averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor. The Warriors would love to add the 7-footer’s length and athleticism to their bench as a solid backup for Kevon Looney, who returned to the Warriors on a three-year deal last week.
“Obviously, his size is the first, most impressive thing,” Mahlalela said. “We all know that and can sense that right away. But I think as he starts to scrimmage more, we’re starting to really learn some of the nuances of the game. His hands are really good, he can shoot the ball, which we all knew, but he’s finding when to shoot the ball a bit better. And then obviously, the ability to protect the rim. That’s what will be the focus for us, as we start to be able to move more, we’ll continue to coach him up and work on his rim protection and ability to protect the paint.”
On Thursday, Mahlalela reportedly was promoted from player-development coach to a front-of-bench assistant coach role, so he’s had a close on Wiseman’s growth behind the scenes.
