SAITAMA, Japan — James Wiseman had butterflies when he checked into Friday’s preseason opener in the first quarter and for good reason.
Not only did Wiseman have to wait 1 1/2 years to suit back up for the Warriors, but Friday night also was the first time he’s ever played an NBA game in front of a full arena.
And boy, did Wiseman give the crowd of more than 20,000 engaged fans a lot to cheer about.
Wiseman made his 7-foot presence known in the Warriors’ 96-87 win over the Washington Wizards, throwing down five dunks, including an alley-oop in the second quarter off an assist from Steph Curry.
Wiseman finished with a game-high 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting. He also grabbed nine rebounds playing just under 24 minutes off the bench.
It was an ideal start to the preseason for a young guy who had been challenged countless times over a lengthy 15-month rehabilitation process.
“It felt good just to be out there with my teammates and to be out there playing,” said a smiley Wiseman after the game. “It’s been like 1.5 years, two years, so just to be out there playing, it feels good.”
Wiseman moved up and down the floor all night with ease. He said he had some jitters returning to court, though those nerves weren’t apparent to anyone watching.
“This is my first games in two years but I just went out there and just played my game and just be myself,” he said. “I wasn’t trying to do as much, I wasn’t trying to do something like outside my boundaries just keep the game simple, and just be myself out there.”
Wiseman’s development over the next two weeks will be one of the biggest storylines to follow as he heads into a pivotal Year 3 after missing all of last season due to a pesky knee injury.
Poetry in motion. pic.twitter.com/q4YEFZpN8y
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) September 30, 2022
It’s hard to make of what the Warriors have in Wiseman since he’s played in only 45 games over the last three years with the University of Memphis, Golden State and the team’s G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. He had a solid rookie campaign in the pandemic-altered 2020-21 season — averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds — but it was cut short after 39 games because he needed surgery to repair a torn right meniscus.
Wiseman played three games in Santa Cruz last season before being shut down for good. He made his return to the floor in summer league after a lengthy and, at times, frustrating 15-month rehabilitation process. He was a mixed bag of sorts in his four games during the Las Vegas exhibition, during which he averaged 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while playing just under 20 minutes per game.
The coaching staff has raved about Wiseman’s gradual growth in recent weeks. He’s the only player to participate in every pick-up game at Chase Center before camp, according to Kerr. And Wiseman continued to have a good few days of practice heading into Friday’s game.
Despite being limited on the court for an extended period of time, Wiseman put in a lot of work in the film room. As a result, some of the biggest strides he’s made so far is his spatial awareness and decision making.
“Just his understanding of spacing and defensive communication, being in the right place, he just has a much better sense of the NBA game now than when he was playing a couple of years ago and for good reason,” Kerr said. “He’s been putting a ton of work in and obviously last year despite the injury he was studying, watching tape, learning from our older guys so couldn’t be happier for James that he’s done such a good job putting so much work and to see him rewarded in the first preseason game was fantastic.”
Wiseman entered training camp — his first full preseason since being drafted No. 2 overall in 2020 — ready to prove he can play meaningful minutes as an impact player on a title-contending team. While the Warriors re-signed Kevon Looney this offseason to help Wiseman as he works his way back, the 21-year-old could eventually earn his way into the starting lineup at some point this season.
Friday’s game was promising for Wiseman, though he did his best to downplay his performance.
“It’s just a preseason game so I’m just going to keep working,” he said. “It’s only one game anyways.”
