:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71630438/1244475424.0.jpg)
Good Morning Dub Nation,
In what was the Golden State Warriors’ most complete game of the season, the team beat the San Antonio Spurs in dominating fashion Monday night, 132-95. Following the game, head coach Steve Kerr had big news as he announced that third-year center James Wiseman will be joining their Santa Cruz G League team for an ‘extended period’ of time.
Kerr announces Wiseman is going to the G League tomorrow. “We want to give him maybe 10 straight days, something like that, and come back. We all know things happen in this league and he's gonna find his way back to the rotation at some point.”
— Kerith Burke (@KerithBurke) November 15, 2022
Steve Kerr says James Wiseman will go to Santa Cruz tomorrow for an "extended period." pic.twitter.com/PFXgnczMVg
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 15, 2022
Wiseman recently found himself out of the rotation following the Warriors’ disastrous five-game road trip a couple of weeks back. He finally saw time on the court late in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s matchup against the Spurs, but at that point, the game was out of reach as the Warriors were up by nearly 40 points.
Finally healthy after two seasons derailed by injuries, the young Warriors center was hoping to make a leap in his development this year. However, his lackluster results on the court have led to inconsistent playing time thus far. In his 11 games played this season, Wiseman is averaging 6.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks in 13.4 minutes per game.
At 21-years-old and still very early in his career, Wiseman shows flashes of the potential that made him the second-overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. However, those flashes have not been enough to compensate for the mistakes he makes on the court — especially for the veteran core of the team hoping to continue their championship run.
Kerr and several others emphasized that in order to improve, young players, and Wiseman specifically, need the reps so that they can make these mistakes and learn from them — something the team hopes will happen for Wiseman in the G League.
"I'm a huge believer that long term he's going to be a really good player."
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 15, 2022
Steve Kerr on James Wiseman being out of the rotation pic.twitter.com/kbOb2fQbTK
Jordan Poole on James Wiseman going to the G-League (which Poole once did): “I told him it’s not a demotion. It’s not a punishment. He’s going to go down there and shoot as many shots as he wants, get as many touches as he wants, work on as many moves as he wants.” pic.twitter.com/ISivLSigjn
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 15, 2022
The time in the G League is best for all parties involved. The team clearly wants what’s best for Wiseman’s development and he should get all the reps he needs to improve while building up his confidence — albeit against inferior competition. This process has worked for the Warriors before as Jordan Poole returned from his time in the G League to massive success, so hopefully the same will happen with Wiseman.
Here are the rest of today’s stories:
In case you missed it from Golden State of Mind:
- Jordan Poole torches Spurs in Warriors 132-95 blowout victory
- Warriors give their young players a much-needed boost of confidence
- Player grades: Warriors vs. Spurs
- Podcast: Warriors vs. Spurs
- Steph Curry wins Player of the Week
Other Warriors News:
- Run TMC reunited to call Warriors-Spurs game (ESPN)
- Warriors’ two timelines are stumbling, and something has to give (The Athletic)
- Warriors now ‘remarkable’ free-agent destination, Chris Mullin believes (NBC Sports Bay Area)
- Steve Kerr isn’t thinking about starting Jordan Poole over Klay Thompson (NBC Sports Bay Area)
- Golden State Warriors to pause all FTX-related promotions (ESPN)
Loading comments...