(Editor’s note: With training camp approaching, Pistons.com continues a series that examines the questions they must confront in their quest to turn the corner on general manager Troy Weaver’s restoration of the franchise to greatness. Today’s question: Can James Wiseman, away from the glare he was under in Golden State, live up to his No. 2 draft status?)
Unless you were a scout or an unadulterated basketball junkie, chances are if you lived in Michigan the first time you saw James Wiseman play basketball came on the night of Dec. 29, 2020. In a nearly empty Little Caesars Arena amid the recently begun 2020-21 NBA season, delayed two months by the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wiseman and his Golden State Warriors teammates took the court for pregame warmups, the sound of a dozen basketballs bounced off the hardwood echoing through the cavernous building.
In that sterile environment, Wiseman’s sheer physical gifts were impossible to miss. Bigger than everyone else, he moved with uncommon grace, gliding through layup line with the fluidity of a guard but the wingspan of a construction crane.
A little more than two years later, with Wiseman’s career at a crossroads, Pistons general manager Troy Weaver struck at the trade deadline to acquire the gifted 7-footer at a distressed price. Had the Pistons won the 2020 lottery, there’s a considerable chance Wiseman’s NBA career would have launched in Detroit.
The Pistons are hoping to launch it here this season after several scrubbed missions due to a mix of injury, misfortune and timing. Ultimately, Wiseman’s career trajectory didn’t mesh with Golden State’s organizational mission to maximize the championship window that exists for Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. He’s a better fit for the Pistons, who can surround him with another handful-plus of prospects within a year or two of his 23 years or age.
“When he became available, that kind of changed things for me,” Weaver said after helping engineer a four-team trade that saw the Pistons send out Saddiq Bey – taken 17 spots after Wiseman in the 2020 draft – and Kevin Knox to get back Wiseman, the No. 2 pick. “Just being able to add this kind of talent with this kind of size. We think we can unlock him here.”
What an unlocked Wiseman might look like is beyond intriguing. Wiseman was the consensus No. 1 recruit in the high school class of 2019. A Nashville native, he moved to Memphis to finish his high school career under Penny Hardaway. That caused complications with Wiseman’s NCAA eligibility when Hardaway was hired to coach his alma mater, the University of Memphis, and resulted in Wiseman playing just three November college games before the plug was pulled.
In his debut, he put up 28 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots in 22 minutes. He didn’t need to show much more to cement his prospect status, but the lack of repetitions for Wiseman that season was compounded by getting stuck in limbo with the Warriors for his first three NBA seasons.
Now going into his fourth year, Wiseman has played just 1,703 NBA minutes – or 33 more than Jalen Duren, his teammate and the player he’ll compete with for minutes at center, logged as an NBA rookie.
Wiseman hasn’t shown he can be an efficient perimeter shooter yet, but everyone who’s worked with him believes in his touch. His athleticism is evident in transition, where he covers ground with effortless strides. He’s got the wingspan and timing to be an elite shot-blocker. Now it’s a matter of time – in the weight room to add some needed strength and on the court to soak up the experience that hones instincts.
“With your talent, if you don’t use it, you lose it,” Weaver said of Wiseman. “We need him to get out there so he can get back to using his talent and be confident in who he is as a player.”
Wiseman’s rust was evident over the home stretch of last season after joining the Pistons, but so were his tantalizing gifts. He felt reinvigorated merely by getting an opportunity to play – and to play through mistakes that Golden State didn’t have the luxury to abide.
“It was pretty tough,” he said in April of going from a long bout of inaction to a major role with the Pistons and being traded for the first time. “But I embraced everything because I love basketball and love playing the game. Really, this summer I dedicated to getting better in every aspect of my game. I’m just working toward that every day.”
Wiseman got his greatest exposure with Golden State as a rookie, but even then he missed significant time with a wrist injury and wound up playing 39 games. Late in the season, after coming back from the wrist, he suffered a knee injury that would cost him all of the 2021-22 season. Wiseman began last season getting consistent minutes off of Golden State’s bench, but an uneven start to the Warriors season led to a reshuffling that saw his role reduced. Ultimately, Golden State focused on reacquiring Gary Payton III at the trade deadline and used Wiseman as the chip to get that done.
The Pistons seized the opportunity to land a high lottery talent who essentially was still a rookie. In Duren, they’ve got a 19-year-old who wowed at USA Basketball camp this summer and someone they feel is certain to grow into a premier NBA big man. If they can unlock Wiseman, they’ll have two such players.