The Warriors at +41 in the last quarter of their victory against Spurs, the great carcass of James Wiseman rose from the bench to enter the field. It was his first minutes of play for four games. The pivot will have been discreet in his nine minutes on the floor, with 2 points and 2 rebounds, while multiplying the errors of placement in defense and rebound.
After the meeting, Steve Kerr had put on his balancing act to talk about the number 2 of the 2019 Draft and the dilemma he presents to his coach and his leaders.
“It’s really hard for any player to be out of rotation after playing and it’s even harder for a young player like James. [Wiseman] who has already had many obstacles in his career” he acknowledged. “But what I like about James is that he has the perfect attitude. He has everything he needs to succeed and I believe in him, I know he will become a great player but to get there he needs playing time, he needs to play. And it’s complicated when you don’t have playing time.”
The answer to this dilemma is quite logical and leads to Santa Cruz where the Warriors have their G-League team. Kerr, however, seemed reluctant to announce the inevitable news: James Wiseman will indeed be sent to the Warriors development team to gain experience and find rhythm.
“He will go to Santa Cruz tomorrow (Tuesday), and he will stay there for a long time to be able to train and play several matches” finally announced Steve Kerr. “It won’t be just for one game. We want to give him 10 days or more, and I know he will find a way to get back into our rotation. But the best thing for him today is to play and continue. »
“I told him it was not a regression. It’s not a punishment.”
This decision is like a step back for the young pivot. But perhaps it is also a last chance for the Warriors if the leaders do not see any progress, to the point of considering parting with it… We are not there yet, and remember that this isn’t the first time Golden State has opted for this strategy with one of its young talents. We would almost forget seeing him plant 36 points against San Antonio, but Jordan Poole, also in difficulty, had been sent to the G League during his second season.
The guard came back transformed, confident, skillful, and it was those few games with Santa Cruz that put him on the right path to becoming Golden State’s sixth man last year, and hitting the jackpot this summer. The 23-year-old also explained that he told Wiseman to take this move to the G League as an opportunity, as a springboard, rather than taking it as a punishment.
“I told him it was not a regression. It’s not a punishment. He’s going to go out there and take as many shots as he wants, have as many balls as he wants, work as many moves as he wants.” summarizes Poole, who knows that a move to the G-League can be good.
Interview in San Francisco.
