James Wiseman

Warriors Notes: Curry, Green, Wiseman, Looney, Kerr

March 15th, 2022 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

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.

Warriors Notes: Thompson, Poole, Lineups, Wiseman

March 13th, 2022 at 8:58am CST by Arthur Hill

After two weeks of struggling with his shot, Klay Thompson unleashed the type of game the Warriors will need to make a long playoff run, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Thompson scored 38 points on Saturday night, his highest total since returning from a long injury absence, with eight three-pointers, six rebounds and five assists in a win over Milwaukee.

“Everybody makes a big deal about my shooting, man,” said Thompson, who connected on 15 of his 24 shots from the field. “I mean, I’m not happy with how I was shooting but I know these nights are within me. I just know. I’ve done too many great things that players haven’t done before to doubt myself.”

However, there were some outside doubters as questions started to emerge about Thompson’s effectiveness after missing more than two full seasons with two serious injuries. He was mired in a slump after the All-Star break, shooting just 34% from the floor and 23.3% from beyond the arc over his last four games. He has also been in and out of the lineup, missing two games because of illness and two others while being rested in back-to-backs.

“He’s so hard on himself and wants so badly to succeed,” coach Steve Kerr said. “I thought he just let the game come to him early. He didn’t hunt shots. Over the past few games, he’s been taking tough ones early, which has kept him from getting into a rhythm. Tonight, it felt like he was taking better shots early. … You know Klay, once a couple go in, the tougher ones get a lot easier for him.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Kerr tried a different starting lineup Saturday, using reserve guard Jordan Poole along with Thompson and Stephen Curry, notes Anthony Slater of The Athletic. The change was partially dictated by the matchup — Kerr wanted another play-maker on the court with Jrue Holiday guarding Curry — but the trio has been especially productive, posting a plus-97 in the 104 minutes they’ve played together.
Kerr only used eight players against the Bucks, but he will soon have a lot more options, Slater adds. Draymond Green is expected to return Monday, along with Otto Porter, and Andre Iguodala and Gary Payton II are both on the way back. “What’s becoming apparent to me, this year, is that we could have a different starting lineup from game to game in the playoffs, series to series,” Kerr said. “This is not the Warriors from five years ago when you knew exactly what was coming. We got a lot of really good pieces, but we have some new ones, some unproven ones. We have to be able to adjust quickly on the fly if things aren’t going well.”
Kerr was “thrilled” about James Wiseman‘s performance in his first G League game and said he should be ready for NBA action “soon,” according to Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. Wiseman will play for Santa Cruz again today, and Kerr and a few players plan to attend.

Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Poole, Wiggins, Thompson

March 11th, 2022 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Warriors center James Wiseman returned to the court on Thursday for the first time in 11 months, playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League after recovering from a pair of procedures on his knee. As Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes, Wiseman had to shake off some rust, but had a productive outing, scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds in just 21 minutes.

According to Slater, the plan is for Wiseman to review film of the game on Friday, practice with Santa Cruz on Saturday, and play in another G League contest on Sunday. After that, Golden State will determine whether or not he’s ready to make his NBA return.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Jordan Poole‘s dagger three-pointers in the final minute of the Warriors’ Thursday win over Denver was the latest example of the 22-year-old’s ability to rise to big moments, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, who says Poole’s regular season performance bodes well for his odds of playing an important role in the team’s playoff run.
Conversely, Andrew Wiggins‘ game has taken a “taken a precipitous decline” as of late, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Wiggins has made just 34.6% of his free throw attempts since January, prompting Poole to wonder whether the All-Star forward can still be a regular part of crunch-time lineups this spring if he doesn’t turn things around soon.
Klay Thompson‘s shooting numbers this season – including 34.5% from the floor and 28.8% on threes in his last seven games – remain well below his career rates. But head coach Steve Kerr isn’t worried about the veteran sharpshooter, who is still working his way back into top form following a two-and-a-half year absence due to ACL and Achilles tears. “The only thing that I’m stressing with Klay right now is to just get great shots,” Kerr said on Thursday, per Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area. “If he’s not open, to move it on. I think we’ve really tried to give Klay a lot of freedom in his comeback, just to be able to feel the game. Not to harp on mistakes and that sort of thing. But the bottom line is we are at our best when the ball moves, and we’re getting good shots.”

Pacific Notes: Westbrook, Kings, Ranadive, Wiseman

March 10th, 2022 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

Having faced criticism for his underwhelming play with the Lakers throughout the 2021/22 season, former MVP Russell Westbrook told reporters this week that he believes some of the disrespect he has received from fans this season has crossed a line.

“When it comes to basketball, I don’t mind the criticism of missing and making shots. But the moment it becomes where my name is getting shamed, it becomes an issue,” Westbrook said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “… ‘Westbrick,’ for example, to me, is now shaming. It’s shaming my name, my legacy for my kids. It’s a name that means, not just to me, but to my wife, to my mom, my dad, the ones that kind of paved the way for me.”

Westbrook said he no longer feels comfortable bringing his children to games because he doesn’t want them to hear the comments he gets from fans — or to face any harassment themselves. His wife, Nina Westbrook, stated on social media this week that she has had “obscenities and death wishes” sent her way.

Addressing his point guard’s comments, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel indicated on Wednesday that he and the team are throwing their support behind Westbrook and his family, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group.

“He’s an important player for us, he’s a part of our family,” Vogel said. “And anytime a player is feeling that type of impact at home with his family, that is a big concern and should be handled with care. And I hope people can respect what he had to say postgame the other night, because it should never come to that.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report considers how the Westbrook situation might play out this summer, suggesting that it wouldn’t be out of the question for the Lakers to waive or buy out the 33-year-old, stretching his $47MM salary for 2022/23 across three seasons to gain more short-term financial flexibility. One source told Pincus the Rockets hope to revisit a potential Westbrook/John Wall swap, but other sources were skeptical the Lakers would have any more interest in that scenario this summer than they did during the season.
The Kings were the latest team to take part in what has become a trend this season, issuing a statement on Wednesday to say they disagreed with the NBA’s decision to suspend Domantas Sabonis. Previously, the Heat stated that they disagreed with the league’s decision to take away a second-round pick for their early pursuit of Kyle Lowry in free agency, while the Bucks publicly took exception to Grayson Allen‘s one-game suspension.
According to Scott Soshnick and Brendan Coffey of Sportico, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive is preparing a bid for English soccer club Chelsea FC, which is currently up for sale. Sportico recently projected Chelsea’s value to be $3.35 billion.
With James Wiseman nearing a return, Anthony Slater of The Athletic explores how the Warriors might use him down the stretch, especially when they’re trying to build momentum for the postseason and also reintegrate Draymond Green. In Slater’s view, dedicating a few minutes per half to a second unit led by a Jordan Poole/Wiseman pick-and-roll game could make sense for Golden State.

Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Center Rotation, Moody, Kirk Lacob

March 8th, 2022 at 8:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Second-year Warriors center James Wiseman is scheduled to play in two games for Golden State’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, this week, per a team press release. Wiseman has recovered enough from a pair of procedures on his knee to be cleared to play in a game situation.

According to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link), while there’s still no official target date for Wiseman’s NBA return “whispers” indicate it could happen during an upcoming home stand at the Chase Center, from March 12-20. Sources tell Kendra Andrews of ESPN that Wiseman is “highly unlikely” to become a permanent part of Golden State’s playoff-bound rotation, but he is projected to earn occasional spot minutes.

The seven-footer, still just 20, was selected with the No. 2 pick out of Memphis in the 2020 draft. In his 39 healthy NBA games to this point, he has averaged 11.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG. His lack of experience will likely preclude him from being more than the Warriors’ third center this year.

There’s more out of the Chase Center:

Though the Warriors could benefit from an additional reserve center behind starter Kevon Looney, the team appears to have prioritized wings as it makes a postseason push, writes Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. Kawakami notes that 6’7″ starting power forward Draymond Green remains the club’s most effective center as a small-ball option, adding that Wiseman could work as a backup big in certain situations.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has identified rookie wing Moses Moody as a key piece for Golden State moving forward, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). “He’s a keeper,” Kerr raved after Moody scored a career-high 30 points in Denver on Monday.. “He’s a guy who’s going to be a cornerstone for this team for a long time to come. It’s easy to see that right now in his rookie year.”
As part of his NBA 40 Under 40 series, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic interviews Warriors executive vice president of basketball operations Kirk Lacob, noting that the son of team majority owner Joe Lacob, has become a trusted voice for team president Bob Myers. The younger Lacob discussed how the team handles player development with a new youth-heavy roster. “We’ve got someone on the coaching staff who is solely kind of dedicated as the director of player development and their job is to make sure players have development courses at every part of their career, and that the coaching staff is on the same kind of alignment as the performance team because that’s a whole other player element is your physical performance,” he said. “On the front office side, we’ve got a whole group and we call them team development, but part of team development is player development.”

Warriors Notes: Green, Offense, Wiseman, Moody

March 4th, 2022 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

Asked by Anthony Slater of The Athletic after Thursday’s loss to Dallas about when he thinks he’ll return to action, Warriors forward Draymond Green said he’s aiming to be back in “a couple weeks.”

Green stated during the All-Star Game in Cleveland last month that he hoped to return within three or four weeks. That was 12 days ago, so it appears his recovery timeline hasn’t changed since then.

As we relayed earlier this week, Green has started doing 3-on-3 work, so 4-on-4 and 5-on-5 reps will likely follow. According to Slater, the next couple weeks may be more about Green getting his conditioning and rhythm back than anything else, since he wasn’t able to run or do much cardio work while he was resting his back injury.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

In an in-depth story for ESPN.com, Kendra Andrews examines what Green means to the Warriors not just on defense, but on offense. Prior to his injury, Green ranked second on the team in touches per game (73.6) and first in assists (7.4). Head coach Steve Kerr believes Green’s absence has had an impact on players like Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, who benefit from his play-making. “Understand that, especially without Draymond for this extended stretch, our offense is a little different,” Stephen Curry said. “There is a lot more responsibility in terms of play-making, being on the ball and handling that attention.”
One Warriors coach told Andrews that James Wiseman is highly unlikely to be a big part of the Warriors’ regular rotation this season, especially in the playoffs. Golden State believes the young center can help in certain situations, but is more focused on what he can do for the team in future seasons, which Kerr hinted at when he discussed Wiseman’s status on Thursday. “This guy needs reps. He needs a thousand reps,” Kerr said (Twitter link via Slater). “He needs a Summer League, he needs a training camp. So let’s temper the expectations, but be excited about his future, because as he gets those reps, he’s got the potential to be a tremendous player.”
Kerr said after Thursday’s game that he expects rookie Moses Moody to continue getting rotation minutes going forward, according to Slater. Moody’s playing time has been inconsistent this year, but he has appeared in 11 of the Warriors’ last 13 games, starting five of them, and has acquitted himself well. On Thursday, he scored 13 fourth-quarter points on 5-of-5 shooting.

Pacific Notes: Wiseman, Suns, Payne, Lakers

March 1st, 2022 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Despite rumors that he might be ready to return at the start of March, Warriors center James Wiseman remains sidelined for now. He’s with Golden State on the four-game road trip that begins tonight so that he can practice and scrimmage with the team, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, who tweets that head coach Steve Kerr continues to take a “day-to-day” approach with Wiseman’s rehab. There’s still no target date for his season debut.

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer contends that Chris Paul‘s absence due to a hand injury could be a “blessing in disguise” for the Suns as long as it doesn’t extend into the postseason. As O’Connor explains, a number of other Suns will get a chance to handle the ball with Paul sidelined, which could allow the team to experiment a little and add a new layer to its offense.
Suns point guard Cameron Payne did some 3-on-3, 4-on-4, and a little 5-on-5 work on Monday, head coach Monty Williams told reporters today (video link via Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic). The team is hoping Payne can return from his right wrist injury soon, with Williams noting that the plan would be for the veteran guard to displace Cameron Johnson in the starting lineup (Twitter link via Rankin).
John Hollinger of The Athletic (Twitter link) questions why the Lakers didn’t complete a salary-dump trade involving DeAndre Jordan prior to last month’s deadline if they were just going to eventually waive him anyway. As Hollinger points out, the Lakers could’ve sent out cash with Jordan, essentially paying him another team to take him. Doing so would’ve reduced L.A.’s tax bill by about $5MM, so the team still would’ve come out ahead financially.

Injury Updates: Warriors, George, Smart, Porzingis

February 24th, 2022 at 1:50pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran swingman Andre Iguodala continues to deal with back soreness and is out for the Warriors Thursday night at Portland, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. The 38-year-old, who missed 13 of Golden State’s last 14 games leading into the All-Star break, has been productive when healthy, but has played just 26 games to this point.

Draymond Green and James Wiseman are also out Thursday, Slater reports in the same tweet. Wiseman did travel with the team, however, and appears to be inching closer to a return, as he was a full participant in Golden State’s scrimmage Wednesday night, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link). A recent report indicated Wiseman might make his season debut on March 1, but coach Steve Kerr says there are no firm next steps for when the young big man will return.

Green has been dealing with a back/disc injury and said during All-Star Weekend that he hopes to return within three or four weeks.

Here are some more injury-related updates from around the league:

Clippers star Paul George, who’s currently sidelined with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, was scheduled to have an MRI on Thursday but it has been pushed back to Friday, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
Celtics guard Marcus Smart suffered an ankle injury February 15 at Philadelphia, but he says it’s gotten better over the All-Star break. “Feeling pretty good. Honestly, the night of the injury was pretty harsh for me. Couldn’t put any pressure on it, but over the break, was able to get some sun and did some cool things to work on it. Swelling’s gone down,” Smart said (Twitter link via Jared Weiss of The Athletic).
The Wizards traded for Kristaps Porzingis on February 10, but it sounds like they’ll continue to have to wait for his debut. He wasn’t a full participant in practice Wednesday or Thursday and coach Wes Unseld Jr. says Porzingis will be ramped up over a period of time, going from one-on-one to three-on-three then five-on-five. He has no definitive timetable for a return and is considered day-to-day going forward (All Twitter links from Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington).

Warriors Notes: Wiggins, Looney, Poole, Wiseman, Thompson

February 23rd, 2022 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors already have the NBA’s most expensive roster, but their payroll may only continue to rise in the coming years, writes Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle.

As Letourneau outlines, Kevon Looney will be an unrestricted free agent in 2022 and has earned a raise on his current $5.2MM salary; Jordan Poole will be extension-eligible this offseason; and Andrew Wiggins will be entering the final year of his contract in 2022/23.

This season, those three players are earning a combined $39MM, but if Golden State wants to hang onto them going forward, that cost will likely increase substantially beginning in ’23/24, when new deals for Wiggins and Poole would go into effect. Keith Smith of Spotrac estimates that Poole’s next contract could be worth in the neighborhood of $80MM over four years, Letourneau notes.

With all this in mind, Letourneau wonders if Wiggins could be the Warriors’ odd man out. The former No. 1 overall pick has thrived in Golden State, earning his first All-Star nod this season, but Letourneau is unconvinced that the organization would be prepared to give him another maximum-salary contract next year, pushing team salary over $200MM (not counting tax penalties) — especially if Jonathan Kuminga proves increasingly capable of eventually taking over Wiggins’ starting forward spot.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Within that same Chronicle story, Letourneau suggests that Looney could be in line for a multiyear deal worth about $6MM annually this offseason, and says the Warriors will make an effort to extend Poole during the 2022 offseason.
Cyrus Saatsaz of Locked on Warriors (video link) states that his cohost Dieter Kurtenbach of The Bay Area News Group has heard from a source that James Wiseman will return to action for Golden State on March 1, which would be the team’s third game after the All-Star break. Wiseman has described himself as being in the late stages of his rehab process, so we could certainly see him soon, though it’s worth noting that Klay Thompson‘s return was initially projected to happen before Christmas, and he didn’t make his season debut until January 9. Like they did with Thompson, the Warriors will play it safe with Wiseman, making sure he doesn’t play until he’s 100%.
Speaking of Thompson, while he feels fully healthy, he’s still in the process of working his way back to his pre-injury form, as he tells Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “I had a good game, but I want to put together a string of games,” Thompson said after a 33-point performance against the Lakers earlier this month. “I want to be back to playing at an elite level when I was making All-NBA teams. I know that’s going to come. I’m ahead of schedule from where I thought I’d be. I’m very competitive. I want to shoot at a high percentage. I want to be as efficient as I was.” Thompson added that he also wants to continue improving on defense, where he feels as if he has about “80 to 85 percent” of his lateral quickness back.

Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Kuminga, Green, Buyout Market

February 17th, 2022 at 7:17am CST by Arthur Hill

A year ago, James Wiseman was the only member of the Warriors‘ youth movement, writes Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area. As a rookie center with only three games of college experience, Wiseman was asked to contribute right away for a franchise that had gotten used to competing for titles. He played 39 games, starting 27, before knee surgery brought his season to an early end.

This year, Wiseman has been joined by lottery picks Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody, along with Jordan Poole, who is already a dangerous scorer at age 22. Like many in the organization, Wiseman is optimistic about the team’s future and is especially impressed by Kuminga, who has been added to the Rising Stars Challenge.

“I’m actually proud of the dude because he works hard every day,” Wiseman said of Kuminga. “I’m just very proud that he is out there doing his thing.”

There’s more on the Warriors:

Wiseman continues to make progress toward his season debut, participating in a 5-on-5 scrimmage on Tuesday, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Wiseman described himself as being in the late stages of the rehab process and said he expects to play a little in the G League before returning for the Warriors.
Golden State issued a health update on Draymond Green, saying the veteran big man is expected back sometime after the All-Star break. Green has missed 19 straight games with lower back issues, and the next update likely won’t come until he returns to practice.
General manager Bob Myers said during an appearance on 95.7 The Game that the expected returns of Green and Wiseman influenced his decision to not be active on the trade market. “If we thought Draymond was not going to be back, or Wiseman, and we thought some player would really help us, we would do that,” Myers said, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. “At this stage, as far as clamoring for a big guy, there isn’t an obvious, ‘Go get that guy,’ and he fits with what we do and can run our offense. It’s not just taking any big and saying, ‘This guy’s going to be able to rebound, block shots and be able to run your offense.’ Our offense is intricate. Our offense is complicated.”
Coach Steve Kerr echoed the same sentiment, indicating that the Warriors don’t plan to chase anyone who gets bought out, tweets Kendra Andrews of ESPN. “Our issues go way beyond not having enough size,” Kerr said. “… If there is a player that good, he’s not on the buyout market.”

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