Warriors' Wiseman is waiting for his chance
SAN FRANCISCO >> James Wiseman was doing some solo work with resistance bands and a weighted ball in the hallway at the bottom level of FedExForum in Memphis as his teammates warmed up for Games 1 and 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Grizzlies.
He longs to be out there on the court with his teammates playing in the high-energy atmosphere of the playoffs against his hometown team. Instead, Wiseman changes into street clothes before games and stays mainly behind the curtains as he looks ahead to next season.
“It kind of ticked me off a little bit because I wanted to play against Memphis in my hometown,” Wiseman said Monday before Game 4 at Chase Center with a trip already booked to head back to Memphis for Game 5 on Wednesday. “But it is what it is, it's life.”
That's the mantra Wiseman has embraced as he pushes forward and works to get himself ready to be back on the basketball court.
It's been 13 months since Wiseman underwent season-ending surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee.
A setback earlier this season forced him to undergo a second procedure in December.
While it appeared Wiseman was on track to make his 2022 debut in March, the 7-foot center again experienced swelling in his surgically repaired knee.
The Warriors decided to play the long game with their 2020 lottery pick, effectively shutting him down for the season at the end of March, much to the disappointment of Wiseman.
“To be honest, I was pissed because I wanted to play,” he said. “I'm just going to take it one day at a time, God's got me, and I don't got to worry about anything.”
What the Warriors have in Wiseman, the No. 2 pick of the 2020 NBA draft, remains a mystery. He's played in only 45 games over the last three seasons with Memphis, the Warriors and the team's G League affiliate.
He had mixed performances in his most recent games with the Santa Cruz Warriors. In three G League games, Wiseman averaged 17.3 points and 9.7 rebounds. It's still unclear how he'll adjust to the speed and physicality of the NBA when he returns and the toll this long recovery may have on his mental health.
The adversities Wiseman has experienced over the last three years have “made him stronger,” he said.
“It just depends on how you respond. I could easily give up and be like, `Nah, I don't want to do this.' But that's not in my DNA,” he said. “I'm going to keep working and keep persevering because I've got my faith. I got God on my side, so I'm not worried about anything.” Coach Steve Kerr has been impressed by Wiseman's maturity and ability to stay positive, despite everything the 21-year-old has gone through.
“He's a diligent worker, and he's putting in the time,” Kerr said. “We're very confident that he has a long great career ahead.”
Wiseman knows he has the talent and skill set to make it in the NBA. But the last three years have been arguably the biggest test of his mental fortitude of his young life.
“I really learned a lot about myself during this process. It kept me way more grounded and it humbled me even more, just to say to myself that the basketball can be taken away from anybody at any given moment but it's like you bounce back from that, it's how you respond to that,” Wiseman said. “So really I'm just like keeping an even keel head, keeping my mentality right, staying up, staying elevated and just making sure I stay positive.
“I'm not ever going to give up no matter how hard it get.”
Wiseman said he's “feeling great,” though he's still restricted in what he can do. There's no timetable for a return to full-contact activity and it's unclear whether he'll be cleared for Summer League.
“I obviously want to be out there playing with my teammates but just keeping an even keel head and just making sure that I reassure myself that I'm young, I'm 21 years old, so I got a long career ahead of me,” he said. “It's really just taking one day at a time, that's really it.”