James Wiseman’s career is at a crossroads, and Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors are making a decision in hopes of jumpstarting it.
On Monday night, Steve Kerr announced that Golden State Warriors quarterback James Wiseman will be sent to the G-League for an indefinite period of time. Kerr hinted at 10 days or more.
Visually, Steve Kerr’s dispatch of James Wiseman to the Santa Cruz Warriors after a two-point performance in nine minutes Monday night looks like a huge downgrade. One has to zoom out a bit and understand that Wiseman was put into the game when the Warriors were already leading by 30 points after not being put into the rotation for the past 10 days.
While you could look at this as a demotion, it appears to be more of an opportunity for Weizmann. At least, that’s the team’s way of framing it.
“We’re going to keep him there for a long time to get really good practice time and a few games… He’ll find his way back into the rotation at some point. But the best thing for him is to play a lot of minutes and get a lot of reps,” he said. Kerr told Anthony Slater and the media.
James Wiseman has a chance to make this career-defining moment in a good way
As Anthony Slater pointed out, Jordan Paul has spent some time in the G-League in 2020-21. A year later, he was a big part of the Warriors Championship.
Here’s what Paul said as Wiseman went to the G-League:
And although Paul was somewhat disappointed when he was sent to the G League himself, Here’s how he handled the situation When he was taken down, per NBC Sports:
“I go out there, and I’m like, ‘Okay, I know I’m going to end up in the end again,’” Paul said. “And in the end I’ll be the man. Let me look at this opportunity this way. Whatever it is, we win these games. If the games are close, I take the shots, I make the plays. I get everyone involved.”
There’s no doubt Wiseman is gifted and physically gifted, but unfortunately his play hasn’t been consistent enough to justify needing him in the rotation on a regular basis. While other teams may not make use of the G League arm as frequently as the Warriors do, this is clearly something they’ve seen in action (see: Poole) and hope it pays off again.
The G League could offer the Wiseman something the NBA can’t now: minutes of raw game action. While the talent level is a lower level than the NBA, getting up to speed in the game and comfortable with actions within the Warriors system could be an important step forward.
If Wiseman made the most of this opportunity, he could look back on his career and see this “cut” as the chance that turned him into one of the five best players in the league.
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