NBA: A way-too-early reassessment of the top 10 picks in the 2020 draft

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Golden State Warriors James Wiseman (Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports) /

Pick No. 2 (GSW): James Wiseman, C

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. I am not going to pretend that the Golden State Warriors‘ sudden decline has to do with anything beyond the loss of Kevin Durant in FA and the tragedy of injuries to Klay Thompson (the last guy in the league deserving of the injuries, too). I can still respectfully enjoy GSW fans’ whining, though. Especially their continued denouncement of Kerr as coach. As a Bucks fan, I can relate.

Enough of that, back to the point. The Warriors took James Wiseman and boy does it look like it is going to pay off. They shrugged off the Twitter acolytes crying out that drafting a center is doom and went with the best fit for the team. Wiseman has had his struggles, but he looks like he could very well survive in the NBA.

His per-game stats right now are 12.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. His shooting splits are pretty decent at .503/.409/.623. While he trails Edwards in points among rookies, he has the fourth-highest field goal percentage. He also tops rookies in blocks per game. Wiseman has flashed a variety of skills including finishing around the basket, a nose for the ball on defense, and even taking a board coast-to-coast for a flush. He was recently taken out of the starting lineup for Kevon Looney (who has since gotten injured), but that has more to do with his inexperience than his talent.

Let’s get one thing straight right now. James Wiseman played little to no college ball and had very little preparation going into the season. It is very cool and very promising to see him produce despite all that. Do not get it twisted, however. He is in the pick and roll with what many consider the best point guard in the game in Stephen Curry. He is taking practice/in-game lessons from a five-time All-Defensive player and former DPOY in Draymond Green.

In all honesty, he is probably luckier that the Warriors picked him than the other way around. Any bloggers or writers saying that other teams should have traded up for him should take another look at that proposed teams’ facilitating and defensive mentorship available on the roster and reconsider.

VERDICT: Good to go. The Warriors could have taken LaMelo with an eye at going all-in on offense. It definitely would have been fun. But GSW elected to take an elite center prospect to give their franchise’s all-time player a potentially scary PNR partner as he enters his late prime and beyond. Zero disagreements here.