Latest On James Wiseman’s Recovery
The Warriors and James Wiseman are optimistic that the former No. 2 overall pick will be able to play in next month’s Summer League, according to Shams Charania and Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
Wiseman suffered a torn right meniscus last April and had the injury surgically repaired, then had a second, more minor surgery in December to address persistent swelling in the same knee. He was officially ruled out for the 2021/22 season in late March.
According to Charania and Slater, Wiseman took a multi-day trip to London with Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers in April, and underwent an orthobiologic, plasma-rich injection there to help promote healing in his knee. Since then, he has gradually increased his on-court activity and has begun sprinting without pain. Sources tell The Athletic that Wiseman is getting close to being cleared for full-contact workouts.
A final decision on Wiseman’s availability for Summer League – both the California Classic on July 2-3 and the Las Vegas event from July 7-17 – is expected to be made within the next couple weeks, per The Athletic’s duo. Wiseman stated in early May that his goal was to be available to suit up for Summer League games.
Although Wiseman has only played 39 total games in his first two NBA seasons and the Warriors are back in the NBA Finals without him, the 21-year-old center remains an important part of the franchise’s long-term plans, according to Charania and Slater. He’s under contract for 2022/23 and the team is expected to pick up his $12.1MM option for 2023/24 this fall.
Still, as The Athletic’s writers note, the Warriors could face some difficult roster decisions soon, with starting center Kevon Looney headed for unrestricted free agency this offseason. Two years ago, Golden State might have envisioned handing the starting job to Wiseman at this point, but given his relative lack of NBA reps, that seems unlikely to happen quite yet, meaning the team may feel more pressure to retain Looney.
Warriors’ Bob Myers Talks Poole, Centers, Iguodala
Given the extent to which the Warriors‘ stars have been plagued by injuries since 2019, president of basketball operations Bob Myers admitted in a conversation with Mark Medina of NBA.com that he kept his expectations for this season in check, even though he liked the roster the team put together.
Now that the Warriors are once again in the Western Conference Finals and are just four wins away from appearing in the NBA Finals for the sixth time in eight years, Myers feels a sense of satisfaction about how far the team has come since its 15-50 season in 2019/20.
“What makes it most gratifying is how hard it is,” Myers told Medina. “Having a couple of years out of the playoffs was not fun. But I have a better appreciation for being here and where we are now.”
Myers’ discussion with Medina touched on a wide variety of topics, including Jordan Poole‘s emergence, the Warriors’ approach to the trade deadline, and Andre Iguodala‘s health. Here are a few highlights from the Q&A, which is worth checking out in full:
Myers on Poole’s breakout season and success in the playoffs:
“We saw the potential. But when we draft players (late in the first round), realistically it’s really hard to know where it’s going to go. We thought it was possible, but we didn’t know he would reach it. But credit to him and the coaching staff that put the time in to perfect his craft. I’m happy for him that he’s showcasing this on a big stage, showing his skill set and fitting in with guys that are leading him. He’s been great, and I don’t know if we’d be where we are without him. It’ll be interesting to see where it all keeps going.”
On the Warriors’ decision not to add another center prior to the trade deadline in February:
“The league is realizing that size is really important, but it’s more about positional size than size at the center spot. We didn’t have a great option available to us. Secondly, I was under the impression we would have James Wiseman. He was trending well. We thought he’d be back, ready to go and help us with that vertical space. That didn’t happen and his rehab hit a bump in the road post-deadline. That put us in a tough spot, and the (buyout) market was pretty dry. We had to march forward.
“Size still matters. But (Kevon) Looney’s been an unbelievable, steadfast guy that often gets overlooked. When we need to go bigger, Draymond (Green) and Looney have shown they can do it. They’re capable. They’re not seven feet tall, but they’re versatile, switchable and very smart. We found a way. We’ll see if it keeps working and if we continue to win.”
On Iguodala’s ongoing recovery from a neck injury:
“He’s frustrated. He wants to play. Frankly, he could help us. He’s trying to get back. Because he hasn’t been able to play, he’s used his voice and has been very vocal. He’s one of the most respected players in the league and is very, very bright. He communicates on the bench, whether it’s with our coaches, young players and our older players. That matters, especially as you go deeper in the playoffs.”
Pacific Notes: Wiseman, Lakers Draft, Brown, Kerr
Warriors center James Wiseman plans to play in the Summer League if he doesn’t suffer any more setbacks in his recovery from a right knee injury, Kerith Burke of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Wiseman was ruled out for the season in late March. “I’m never going to give up, no matter how hard it gets,” said Wiseman, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft. The big man has been doing stationary work but hasn’t returned to contact, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers are bringing in six draft prospects on Tuesday, Jovan Buha of The Athletic tweets. That group will include DeVante’ Jones (Michigan), Jeriah Horne (Tulsa), Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu (UT Arlington), Jamaree Bouyea (San Francisco), Jordan Usher (Georgia Tech) and Grant Golden (Richmond).
- Kings fans will have to wait to hear from their new head coach. A press conference to introduce Mike Brown as Sacramento’s coach, which will also include GM Monte McNair, won’t occur until the Warriors are eliminated from the playoffs or win the championship, Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee tweets.
- Until then, the Kings can take comfort in Steve Kerr‘s endorsement of his associate head coach, Kendra Andrews of ESPN tweets. “He’s an amazing coach and an amazing friend. Sacramento made a great choice,” Kerr said. “It’s a loss for us, but this is how it’s supposed to go.” Brown filled in for Kerr in Game 4 of Golden State’s playoff series against Memphis after Kerr tested positive for COVID.
Pacific Notes: Thompson, Wiseman, CP3, Johnson, Covington
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he and the team’s training staff feel good about Klay Thompson‘s health status, and that fatigue isn’t a factor in Thompson’s shooting slump, per Kendra Andrews of ESPN (Twitter link). Thompson has shot 11-for-38 from the field in the first two games against Memphis, including 5-of-22 from deep and 0-of-2 from the line, but he did hit a crucial go-ahead three-pointer late in Game 1.
Kerr also said that no matter how far the Warriors advance in the playoffs, they won’t consider playing James Wiseman, who was ruled out for the season at the end of March (Twitter link via Marc J. Spears of Andscape). Wiseman had a couple of knee surgeries over the past 13 months and experienced some setbacks in his rehab.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- John Hollinger of The Athletic details how Suns star Chris Paul has been dominating the playoffs. Paul, who turned 37 today, is averaging ridiculous numbers through eight games: 22.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 9.9 assists (against 1.6 turnovers) and 1.6 steals on .580/.333/.970 shooting. He’s shooting 67.4% on twos. That is not a typo. Paul’s been arguably the best player in the postseason to this point, says Hollinger. (Side note: Paul has seven turnovers in the first half of Game 3 against the Mavericks, which is in progress. That figure represents a career-high for a half, Dwain Price of Mavs.com tweets. The Suns currently trail 51-44.)
- Suns head coach Monty Williams has been working with Cameron Johnson on his post play recently, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. “Just teaching him how to use his strength a little bit,” Williams said. “He’s got some tools down there. Just talking to him about balance and footwork and stuff like that.” Johnson is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer. He was a finalist for the Sixth Man of the Year award, which went to Tyler Herro.
- Robert Covington‘s newly-inked two-year, $24MM extension with the Clippers is fully guaranteed, with no option in the second year, reports Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
James Wiseman Out For Season
Warriors center James Wiseman will miss the remainder of the season as he continues to rehab his right knee, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2020 draft, will end up missing the entire season, including the playoffs, as he has yet to play a game at the NBA level in 2021/22.
He suffered a torn right meniscus last April and had the injury surgically repaired, then had a second, more minor surgery in December to address persistent swelling in the same knee.
He’d progressed to the point that he was able to play in three G League games with the team’s affiliate in Santa Cruz before being recalled to practice with Golden State last week, but unfortunately suffered another setback just as he was nearing a potential return.
The Warriors’ PR department sent out a tweet confirming the news that Wiseman will miss the rest of the season.
“We’ve maintained throughout his entire rehabilitation process that we’re going to be patient and look out for James’ best interests in what we anticipate to be a long and successful career,” said president of basketball operations Bob Myers. “As a 20-year-old, his entire career is ahead of him. For us, as an organization, our focus is on James’ long-term health and we’re confident — and our doctors are confident — that this long-term approach will help James become the player he will evolve into when he returns to the court.”
There are no additional plans for surgery and Wiseman will remain in the Bay Area to rehab his knee, the team said.
In 39 games as a rookie last season, Wiseman averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game. The Warriors are currently 48-25, the No. 3 seed in the West.
Pacific Notes: Wiseman, LeBron, Mann, Fox
James Wiseman‘s latest setback comes at a bad time for the Warriors, who were hoping to get him back on the court before the end of the season, but coach Steve Kerr said that won’t be a factor in any decisions about Wiseman’s health, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Wiseman has playing in the G League, but will have to miss Sunday’s game after experiencing swelling in his right knee.
“We can’t make a decision based on the schedule,” Kerr said. “We can’t make decisions based on the playoffs. Every decision should be made around James’ career and his future.”
Wiseman hasn’t played an NBA game since undergoing surgery last April for a torn meniscus that ended his rookie season. He had another procedure in December and recently returned to play three games with the Santa Cruz Warriors. The swelling started several days ago, Andrews adds, and the training staff decided Friday to keep him out of action.
“I feel terrible for James,” Kerr said. “I will just keep going back to the fact that he’s 20 years old. He’s got his whole future ahead. We just have to be really, really cautious. We have to do what is best for him long term.”
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- Lakers star LeBron James passed Karl Malone tonight to move into second place on the career scoring list with a 38-point performance at Washington. He now trails all-time leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by 1,440 points. “What an incredible feat. He just attacked tonight,” coach Frank Vogel said. “A signature performance in which he passes one of the greats.” (Twitter link from Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN)
- Terance Mann‘s versatility has been valuable for the Clippers, per Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. Coach Doc Rivers viewed Mann as a point guard when he came into the league, even though he played shooting guard and small forward in college. Now coach Tyronn Lue uses Mann wherever he fits in best. “We don’t have him do too much,” Lue said. “Just guard the best player, defend and rebound … handle the ball and make plays and attack the basket.”
- Kings guard De’Aaron Fox had his right hand X-rayed because of pain and swelling, tweets James Ham of ESPN 1320. Fox was held out of Friday’s game (Twitter link), but the injury is not expected to be a long-term issue.
James Wiseman Suffers Another Setback
Warriors center James Wiseman has suffered another setback in his return from a right knee injury, Marcus Thompson II and Anthony Slater of The Athletic report.
Wiseman is experiencing swelling in his knee and won’t play for the team’s G League affiliate on Sunday. He has been “temporarily shut down.”
Thompson and Slater caution that Golden State hasn’t determined Wiseman’s status for the rest of the season, but time is running out in the campaign. The Warriors are 47-23 and have just 12 games left before the playoffs begin.
Wiseman underwent surgery for a torn meniscus last April. He had a second procedure in December after dealing with some swelling, then returned to play in the G League last week. He logged 62 minutes across three games.
Wiseman was selected No. 2 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. He has yet to play in a game this season and appeared in 39 contests last year, averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per outing.
Pacific Notes: DiVincenzo, Sarver, Wiseman, Powell
Kings guard Donte DiVincenzo is coming off his best game since being traded from Milwaukee to Sacramento at last month’s deadline. On Wednesday, facing his old Bucks team, he put up 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting (4-of-8 on threes), chipping in four rebounds and three steals.
According to James Ham of ESPN 1320 in Sacramento (Twitter link), head coach Alvin Gentry said after Wednesday’s game that there’s a good chance DiVincenzo will move permanently into the Kings’ starting lineup before the regular season is over. Gentry added that he almost made that move for Wednesday’s contest.
DiVincenzo started all 66 games he played in 2020/21 for Milwaukee, but has started just one of 31 games for the Bucks and Kings this season following his return from ankle surgery.
Here’s more from around the Pacific:
- A coalition of social justice activists is calling on the NBA to remove Robert Sarver as the owner of the Suns, writes Howard Beck of SI.com. The American Sports Accountability Project published a letter on its new website stating that the group is “profoundly disturbed by the reports of racism, misogyny and abusive behavior allegedly committed” by Sarver. An independent investigation into the allegations against Sarver is ongoing.
- After playing three games in the G League, center James Wiseman was recalled to the NBA by the Warriors on Wednesday. He’s practicing with the team this week and could make his season debut with Golden State as early as Sunday, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
- Clippers wing Norman Powell, who is recovering from a fractured left foot, had the boot removed from his foot this week, tweets Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. There’s still no guarantee that Powell, who last played on February 10, will be back before the regular season ends in 23 days.
Pacific Notes: Wiseman, Mann, Coffey, Sabonis, Davis
James Wiseman‘s third and perhaps final G League game with the Santa Cruz Warriors should temper expectations regarding his impact, according to Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports Bay Area. Wiseman ran the floor well but even though he contributed 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes, he also committed six turnovers on Tuesday. The Warriors’ big man has a long way to go to regain his offensive rhythm but he’s only expected to play 12-18 minutes per game during the team’s stretch run.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
- The Clippers decided not to add a point guard at the trade deadline or through the buyout market. That looks like a wise move in the aftermath of their overtime loss to Cleveland on Monday, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times writes. With Reggie Jackson getting a rest, the Clippers had 29 assists and just 11 turnovers with Terance Mann and Amir Coffey among the ball-handlers initiating the attack.
- Kings forward Domantas Sabonis said this week that he intends to play for Lithuania in the EuroBasket tournament this summer, James Ham of ESPN 1320 tweets. He was a member of the Lithuanian National Team during the 2016 Summer Olympics.
- Even if Anthony Davis returns soon from his foot ailment, it won’t fix the Lakers, Bill Oram of The Athletic opines. LeBron James has acknowledged that it may be too late to develop chemistry and maximize the team’s potential. “It puts a Band-Aid on some things,” he said of Davis’ potential return. “But I mean, we just haven’t had enough chemistry, enough time with our group to be able to know exactly who we are and who we can become.”
Warriors Notes: Curry, Green, Wiseman, Looney, Kerr
Warriors star Stephen Curry went off for 47 points in Monday’s win over Washington, his second-highest point total of the season and his highest single-game mark since Draymond Green went down with a back injury in early January. After the game, head coach Steve Kerr said there was “100 percent” a correlation between Green’s return on Monday and Curry’s big night, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN.
“It changed for Steph right away, as soon as Draymond got out there,” Kerr said. “The chessboard changes with Draymond out there. With Steph, everything looks and feels a little bit different.”
Curry and Green only shared the court for 15 minutes, but Green’s impact on the former MVP was immediately apparent. Curry poured in 41 of his 47 points with Green on the court, scoring just six points on 3-of-9 shooting in the 20 minutes he played without him.
“When I’m not out there and when I’m watching, I see things that can be done that can help him out,” Green said, per Andrews. “He’s the greatest shooter we’ve ever seen. But you still have to screen, and you still have to find him in good spots and make sure he gets good shots and easy looks as opposed to tough looks all the time.”
Here’s more on the Warriors:
- Prior to Monday’s game, Kerr told reporters that Green won’t be in the starting lineup for his first few games back, per Andrews. The former Defensive Player of the Year will also be restricted to about 20-to-23 minutes per game for the next week or two, and he’s OK with that. “I’m usually against any restrictions. I hate them,” Green said. “… (But) I am actually very inviting of it this time around. I know I need it. I know I need them to protect me from myself.”
- After playing with the Santa Cruz Warriors on Thursday and Sunday, second-year center James Wiseman will play another G League game on Tuesday, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. According to Kerr, the team hasn’t made any further decisions on Wiseman, who is working his way back from knee surgery.
- Green’s return will likely cut into Kevon Looney‘s playing time, but Looney’s importance to the organization has never been felt more than it has this season, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. As Thompson details, Looney has made a major impact both on the court – with Green and Wiseman unavailable for much of the season – and off it, with teammates like Jordan Poole praising the big man’s veteran leadership.
- Tim Kawakami of The Athletic explores how Kerr has gotten creative managing the Warriors’ rotation this season while incorporating rookies and dealing with injuries and slumps, noting that the veteran head coach will have an increasing number of options available to him as the team gets healthier.