2020 NBA Draft: James Wiseman is a talented but comes with risk
By Alex Saenz
Breaking down James Wiseman ahead of the 2020 NBA Draft
From Sam Hinkie back in 2018:
"“The less input you have, the more uncertainty you have, and so when you have that kind of uncertainty there’s more opportunity. If you come at it like, ‘I don’t like uncertainty’ then ok, you can play in the shallow end of the pool, but it’s gonna be harder.”"
As Bill Simmons’ Redraftables series has underscored, the NBA Draft is a castle in the air. For every pipe dream of recreating the next late-2000s Oklahoma City, there are countless post-Dwight Howard Orlandos – five selections in the top-six since 2013 and two playoff wins to show for it.
More from Sir Charles In Charge
- Dillon Brooks proved his value to Houston Rockets in the 2023 FIBA World Cup
- NBA Trade Rumors: 1 Player from each team most likely to be traded in-season
- Golden State Warriors: Buy or sell Chris Paul being a day 1 starter
- Does Christian Wood make the Los Angeles Lakers a legit contender?
- NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting point guards for 2023-24
We generally overvalue the “safe pick,” in reality, there is no sure thing in this game. This added uncertainty should be met with intrigue rather than caution, especially in a weak draft (it’s easy for me to say that sitting at home when my career isn’t on the line).
This leads us to James Wiseman, who follows in the footsteps of Michael Porter Jr. and Darius Garland (coincidently a fellow Tennessee native and former teammate on the Brad Beal Elite) of five-star recruits who became enigmas due to abbreviated college seasons.
Wiseman comes with incredible pedigree – emerging as the consensus top guy in his class back when he was a junior in high school. Since 2013, the only player with a higher ESPN grade (97 of 100) was Marvin Bagley III in 2017. But the list of one-number recruits has been pretty hexing this decade, with Anthony Davis and Ben Simmons being the only all-stars in a group mostly littered with busts like Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, and Josh Jackson.
So either talent evaluators don’t know what they’re doing or predicting the future of 17-19-year-olds is really, really difficult. Based on the little data that we have, what can be gleaned about James Wiseman as a basketball player?
Physically, Wiseman has everything you’d want for a modern-day NBA center. He was last measured at 6-foot-11.5 (no shoes) with a preposterous 7-foot-6 wingspan. For comparison, only four major rotation players sport a longer reach: Mo Bamba, Rudy Gobert, Hassan Whiteside, and Andre Drummond. He has a strong frame (currently around 240 lbs) that can handle the additional weight, so he won’t get pushed around like some of these gangly types of big men.
I don’t envision Wiseman being a switch one-through-five guy who can stick with guards on the perimeter, but he still brings rare fluidity and mobility for someone his size. He’s an explosive leaper off one-foot and gets up pretty well from a stand-still too.
Since Wiseman has the attributes of an NBA 2K MyPlayer, what’s to stop him from becoming a defensive monster? First off, big man defense is hard. Offenses will always have a natural advantage, to begin with, and the challenge has become more demanding than ever now that the league has gone all-in on spacing and speed. Just look at all of the threats that Anthony Davis has to juggle in the span of about five seconds. Centers only get put under the microscope more and more the deeper into the playoffs you advance.
Wiseman is a bit slow in processing the game. He has a nice sense for timing as a shot-blocker when he’s in position, but there aren’t too many instances where he’ll anticipate rotations early. Wiseman’s proclivity for the home-run play has gotten him this far, how will he respond once the rubber meets the road at the NBA level? While there’s always a value to instilling fear in an opponent’s head and channeling Hoya Destroya mode, too much highlight-chasing can ultimately compromise the entire defense (just ask Hassan Whiteside).
Secondly, it’s fair to question Wiseman’s motor and winning attitude. He doesn’t always bring the intensity on a play-by-play basis, and he seems to have sort of an aloof personality on the court. That’s not to jump to conclusions by any means – none of us can remotely imagine what Wiseman had to endure during his brief stint on the Memphis basketball team. Some of the greatest big men in league history – from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Moses Malone to Shaquille O’Neal – were dogged with similar labels throughout their playing careers.
Wiseman boasts a tantalizing, yet unclear skillset on the offensive side as well. He’s a smooth lefty who fashions himself as an old-school/new-age hybrid based on interviews. Wiseman usually doesn’t waste any time once he gets the ball deep in the paint – using his height and soft touch for right-shoulder jump-hooks (he has some dexterity with his right hand, so this shouldn’t be a Domantas Sabonis/Marvin Bagley III situation).
He isn’t necessarily going to power through contact or elevate off two-feet for nuclear dunks (the hands/grip strength may also be a concern), but I’d be surprised if Wiseman doesn’t become a good finisher at the rim. Combine this with a ravenous appetite on the offensive glass, and you get an average offensive center at a bare minimum. Is there anything else in his toolkit?
Wiseman is pretty polished for his age/size. He likes to face-up and get into a jab-step series – often utilizing quick rip-through moves. There’s a budding jumper in there too, and he’ll stretch it out all the way to the arc on occasion. At the same time, he appears to be a black-hole. The missed passing opportunities were there even in the tiny Memphis sample. Falling in love with your shooting stroke can be dangerous.
Can Wiseman develop into a legitimate on-ball option? Color me skeptical; the bar is just too high these days. There are basically three elite post-up centers in the league – Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns – and all of them can pass (unless Joel gets doubled). Wiseman’s talents are enticing, but will he buy into a smaller role (rim-running in pick-and-rolls) should this one-on-one game never pan out? This quandary is especially relevant to teams picking high in the lottery.
The uncertainty with Wiseman is daunting; we pretty much have one meaningful piece of data from the past 18 months (the Oregon game) to work with. The outlines for a potential franchise center are there: a defensive game-changer who can score in a multitude of ways. On the other hand, Wiseman’s track record in demonstrating either of these is extremely limited. He’s not exactly the mold of player I’d be seeking to hitch my wagons to (low feel, questionable effort, somewhat outdated skillset).
Are centers even worth the investment to begin with? The lost year of development will only put more pressure on a team/coaching staff. Overall, I’d rank James Wiseman a shade below Killian Hayes/Anthony Edwards in the race for second in this class.