Honing in on his numbers alone against the Brooklyn Nets makes it seem like James Wiseman made a convincing case for a permanent rotation spot with the Golden State Warriors.
He poured in a career-high 30 points on Wednesday night, shooting 12-of-14 from the field and draining his only 3-point attempt. Wiseman’s blend of size, athleticism and budding skill with the ball simply proved too much for the Nets, exactly what you’d hope from a third-year center who was taken with the second overall pick in the draft.
Impressive as Wiseman was offensively at times against Brooklyn, though, Steve Kerr couldn’t quite see a shining silver lining in the encouraging performances of him and a couple other Golden State youngsters.
“James did a great job tonight,” Kerr said. “It was fun to see him kind of let loose and get some minutes and make the most of it. Did a lot of good things offensively. I thought the second half our young guys were much better than they were last night in New York. It was good to see them get out there and execute, make some shots. Patrick Baldwin got hot there, obviously James was really efficient. Ty Jerome kind of connected everybody during that second half run.
“That was encouraging, but you lose by 30, that’s a small consolation.”
The Warriors’ 143-113 loss to the surging Nets isn’t even an accurate depiction of how competitive they were on the second half of a back-to-back while ending a disastrous six-game road trip.
Golden State trailed by 29 after the first quarter, tying a franchise record. The Warriors set a new one at intermission by surrendering a whopping 91 points to Brooklyn, which was playing without Kyrie Irving.
This game, in fact, was basically already decided from the moment Wiseman took the floor. Golden State was down 33-12 when he entered with 3:44 left in the first quarter, its longshot comeback chances made virtually impossible by not just the absence of Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins, but also Klay Thompson, Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green.
James Wiseman and the short-handed Warriors eventually let go of the rope at Madison Square Garden. (via @armstrongwinter)https://t.co/43Y32aglHg
— Warriors Nation (@WarriorNationCP) December 21, 2022
All 28 minutes Wiseman played at Barclays were essentially garbage time. Is the power, footwork and touch he showed offensively a welcome sign, especially in wake of his ugly effort in New York City 24 hours earlier? Absolutely.
Until he makes a lasting impact on winning in a game that could go either way, though, don’t expect Kerr and the Warriors’ coaching staff to change Wiseman’s role. Even if his G League days are done, no sure thing, it’s still highly likely James Wiseman won’t be on the court for a full-strength Golden State team when it matters most over the season’s remainder.
The post James Wiseman’s career night with Warriors gets reality check from Steve Kerr appeared first on ClutchPoints.
This content was originally published here.
