James Wiseman will be an ultimate game-changer for the Golden State Warriors in 2021-22.
Heading into the 2021-22 NBA season, it’s no surprise that there’s plenty of intrigue surrounding the Golden State Warriors. Especially with how Stephen Curry looked as he returned from injury last season, the assumption is that when this team is fully healthy they will have a chance to be a problem (if not a full-blown contender) in the Western Conference.
Even though there is no guarantee that Klay Thompson, who is coming off back-to-back major injuries, will be back at the start of the season, the expectation is that whenever this team is fully healthy – perhaps by Christmas Day – that the Warriors will once again retake their place amongst the rest of the contenders in the West.
And while a lot of that is due to the trio of Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green, there is one player on this roster with a high enough of a ceiling that can be an ultimate game-changer for this team: James Wiseman.
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Wiseman is coming off a productive rookie season in which he averaged 12 points and six rebounds on 52 percent shooting from the field. He also flashed his range from deep from time to time. Overall, even though he had his highs and lows of a prototypical rookie season, the potential of Wiseman can’t be questioned.
Coming out of high school, Wiseman was a highly-touted prospect that never really got to play much college basketball. Due to a myriad of reasons, Wiseman’s collegiate career was cut short and he elected to make the jump to the pros.
In short, the transition from essentially high school to the NBA was always going to take time for Wiseman. The struggles that he possessed, especially defensively, were no surprise for the Warriors or anyone that had watched him progress over the past two seasons.
Even though it may seem a bit premature to expect a big jump for Wiseman in just his second season in the league, a jump from Wiseman this season could absolutely raise the ceiling of the Warriors in a big way.
Wiseman is the prototypical big man that you want in the league today. He can run the floor, score in the paint, stretch the defense to the 3-point line, and has all the tools to be a versatile defensive player on the other end.
Where does James Wiseman need to make the jump in 2021-22?
This is perhaps where it gets most interesting for Wiseman, concerning where he needs to make a jump in his game. Of course, ideally, especially for a team with contending on their minds, the hope is that Wiseman would make strides on the defensive end.
That’s where the Warriors can make the biggest jump this season. Golden State was good defensively last season, but having a versatile center that could solidify a defense next to good-to-great wing defenders such as Andrew Wiggins, Green, and Thompson, could make this team even that much more dangerous.
Offensively, Wiseman doesn’t need to do too much. The Warriors should bounce back offensively when Thompson returns to take some of the stress off of Curry.
Wiseman just needs to be a compliment to Curry and Thompson offensively, within the system, and really prove that he can be a presence – and not get schemed off the court – on the defensive end.
The Warriors have an opportunity to be a dark horse contender in the West this season. Perhaps a Wiseman will end up playing a big part in that.