Warriors James Wiseman played just 39 games last season and has been out with a torn meniscus since last April.
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The Golden State Warriors got some good injury news on Monday when Draymond Green revealed that he plans to return to the floor on March 14 against the Washington Wizards. On Tuesday, the updates just kept rolling in. This time, it was James Wiseman who took a positive step. The second-year center has been assigned to Golden State’s G-League affiliate in Santa Cruz to play two games as part of his recovery. Wiseman will join the Santa Cruz Warriors for games against the Stockton Kings and G-League Ignite, the team announced.
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Wiseman played just 39 games last season and has been out with a torn meniscus since last April. A brief G-League stint is typically a sign that a player is nearing their return to the NBA level, though it should be noted that the former No. 2 overall pick will have a very short time to fight for regular minutes.
The playoffs are a little more than a month away, and center minutes in Golden State are going to be sparse when they arrive. Green typically plays significant minutes at center in the postseason, and what he doesn’t play will likely be absorbed by current starter Kevon Looney.
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Still, getting Wiseman back on the floor and re-engaged in the regular season will be important for depth purposes. With Green returning, the Warriors likely won’t want to overstrain him, so having extra size available down the stretch will be helpful.
But given their immediate championship upside, Wiseman is far likelier to earn a bigger role on next season’s roster. Looney will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, so if Wiseman can prove in whatever regular-season minutes he gets this year that he is ready to replace him, he could position himself for significant playing time next season.
