Wiseman virtually only bright spot thus far for struggling Golden State
The Warriors could have used two more Wisemans in their Christmas Day loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Without Klay Thompson for the season and without Draymond Green for the first two games, the Warriors have been looking for a No. 2 scoring option to
Stephen Curry.
They might have found it in the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, James Wiseman. And while that’s a compliment to the Warriors’ rookie, it’s not a good thing for the Dubs overall.
The 0-2 start to this season has been concerning, even to folks with gold-tinted glasses. Golden State still fancied itself a contender, even without Thompson. But against arguably the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, they have lost by 26 and 39 points.
Yes, it’s early, but does that
strike you as something a contender would do?
If the Warriors are going to reach that level, they have much longer to go than anyone — even the most ardent Dubs pessimist — initially thought.
Of course, things will change for the better when Green’s defensive genius and offensive playmaking ability enters the equation in the coming days.
But will Green unlock Andrew Wiggins, who looks uncomfortable playing on Curry’s wing? That’s kind of an important role. Wiggins shot 6 for 18 Friday.
Will he help Kelly Oubre — the Warriors’ only other via
ble two-way starter — make an open outside shot while also helping him avoid trying to take mid-range shots over three defenders?
Oubre made 1 of 10 shots Friday. He has made 4 of 24 through two games and missed all 11 of his 3-pointers. Wiggins was 6 for 18 Friday. He is 10 for 34 overall and has missed 6 of 10 3-pointers.
The Warriors can hope, and there will be some natural regression to the mean (which is a good thing for Golden State), but that’s still a big ask.
And the longer these struggles go on — the more the Warriors look disjointed at best and feeble at their worst — the greater the impetus will be for Golden State to go with what is working.
And that’s Wiseman.
The big man out of Memphis was one of the few bright spots for the Warriors in their seasonopening blowout loss to the Nets on Tuesday. Actually, you could make the argument he was the only bright spot.
The same argument could probably be made for Friday’s game, too.
His performance in his second NBA game wasn’t perfect, but it was impressive: 18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 made 3-pointers on four attempts. (He had 19 points and six rebounds Tuesday night, and made the only 3 he took.)
The 19-year- old is playing like he doesn’t know he’s supposed to be struggling against these pros. He’s not polished — far from it — but his athletic ability has stood up to any player on the court in his first two games,
despite going up against Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Wiseman looks the part and isn’t afraid to fail in the venture to make things happen.
The Warriors also keep calling Wiseman a sponge. They say the kid — born in 2001, in case you wanted to feel old today — wants to be coached. There’s credence to that not being lip service. There were game situations he didn’t recognize in his debut that he was able to spot in game No. 2, including a defensive possession in which he made a great block from the weak side.
But the Warriors need to start soaking up more of what he’s providing them.
There’s already been some adaptation by Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. Golden State ran far
more pick-and-roll with Wiseman and Curry on Friday than it did Tuesday night. And those plays created, far and away, the team’s best offensive looks.
But those kinds of direct plays, in which three wings hang around on the outside, are borderline antithetical to the way the Warriors want to play, with four guys in constant motion around the ball.
It’s just two games, so it’d be ridiculous to abandon the ideal just yet, especially without Green in the mix. But if Wiggins and Oubre, the Warriors’ top choices as No. 2 scorer, don’t start showing progress in those offensive sets, the Warriors might have to change up those ideals to better fit the one guy who seems like he’s up for the gig.
The kid.