2. James Wiseman, C, Memphis
Draft projection: Top 5
The fact that James Wiseman only played three games during his freshman season isn’t a great sample size to attempt to project what type of player he’ll end up being at the NBA level. It also doesn’t help that there isn’t much hype surrounding him. Nevertheless, on paper, there’s plenty to like about Wiseman.
He’s 7-foot-1 and posted impressive numbers in the three games that he did play at Memphis. Wiseman averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks on 77 percent shooting from the field. Although, it’s only three games and that’s not a great baseline to project off of. Nevertheless, he’s still likely going to be a top 5 pick.
The big concerns around Wiseman stem from the unknown surrounding his ability to play in the small-ball, 3-point happy current NBA era. Wiseman hasn’t shown the ability to extend his range and stretch defenses. He also hasn’t proved to be a generational defender. Without having one of those two skill sets, I’m not sure they’ll be a big role for him to play for whichever team that drafts him.
For a center that’s projected to be taken in the top 5, that’s not ideal.