Warriors center James Wiseman will play for Santa Cruz Warriors on Tuesday

The Golden State Warriors will wait a little longer before welcoming center James Wiseman back to their NBA rotation. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told members of the media that Wiseman will play a third game with the franchise’s G-League affiliate on Tuesday. According to Kerr, the team will reevaluate Wiseman after that game.

Wiseman was out for nearly 11 months recovering from a torn right meniscus. The second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft was finally cleared to return to official games last week, but Golden State had Wiseman play two games with the Santa Cruz Warriors to help him work back into game shape. It appears they want to see him get a few more G-League reps before returning to the NBA.

In his two games with Santa Cruz, Wiseman averaged 18.5 points, 10 rebounds, 3 turnovers, and 2.5 fouls per game on .500/.250/.500 shooting in 20 minutes per game. He has been on a strict 20-minute limit in his first two games. It will be worth tracking if his minutes increase on Tuesday.

Wiseman showed impressive patience in his first game with Santa Cruz but was sloppier in his second matchup, exhibiting some of the common mistakes from his rookie season. Still, Wiseman has also flashed his offensive potential and an improved intensity as a rebounder. With the Warriors roster lacking quality big men behind starting center Kevon Looney, there should be an opportunity for Wiseman to return to the NBA rotation soon.