Injured second-year center James Wiseman has joined the Warriors on their road trip. The 20-year-old was spotted dribbling and working on his finishes during shootaround before Golden State’s matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. You can listen to the Warriors-Thunder matchup (5 p.m. PT tip-off) on 95.7 The Game:
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater shared video of Wiseman practicing in OKC. Earlier in the day, Slater discussed Wiseman's recovery and the possibility of buyout candidates like Marc Gasol.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said it was a good sign, but perhaps we shouldn’t read into it too much. As far back as late October, we have seen footage of Wiseman throwing down dunks.
“It’s definitely positive just because he’s with us going through practices and workouts,” Kerr told reporters Monday afternoon. “He’s doing well. As I said to you a couple of weeks ago, I’ve learned my lesson in terms of saying anything beyond that. It’s good to have him back in the daily routine.”
Wiseman looks agile and like he is moving around well enough, but has been awaiting clearance for contact scrimmages with his teammates. The Warriors have said he was close to contact on multiple occasions over the past couple of months, but he’s yet to clear the crucial hurdle in his rehab. Wiseman has not appeared in a game since injuring the meniscus in his right knee on April 10, 2021, which required surgery and a subsequent clean-up operation in December.
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The one-year anniversary of his injury actually marks the end of the 2022 regular season, which is only about two months away. The sand is slowly slipping through the hourglass for Wiseman to make his sophomore season debut. The talented 7-footer had a rocky start in his rookie year that was derailed by a COVID-19 protocols, disciplinary reasons and injuries. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes throughout his 39 games last season, while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor.
Golden State is still patiently awaiting to see what they can get from the 2021 No. 2 overall pick, who flashed potential as an explosive above the rim threat, shooter and shot blocker. Rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody – both 19 years old – give the team hope that Wiseman can join their nucleus of the future, along with 22-year-old Jordan Poole.
