They’re also 1-5 on their latest trip, highlighted by back-to-back blowout losses to the Knicks (132-94) and Nets (143-113).

“You are what your record says you are,” Kerr said, per ESPN. “It was a bad road trip. We are 15-18, so we’re a below-.500 team, and we’ve got to find a way to reverse that.”

Steve Kerr: “Bad road trip. We are 15-18. We’re a below .500 team. Gotta figure out a way to reverse that.” pic.twitter.com/FdgK0TZH7O

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 22, 2022

The Warriors gave up a 29-point lead in the first quarter, the second-worst deficit in franchise history, and they scored 17 points, the second-fewest in an opening frame this season. The Dubs also allowed the Nets to score a Brooklyn-record 91 points in the first half, becoming the third time in League history to score 91 points through the first half.

The 40-point lead Brooklyn held over Golden State was also a franchise record. The point differential is also the largest halftime deficit by a defending champion in the history of the NBA.

“That first half, it was kind of a shock,” Draymond Green told ESPN.

One way the Warriors can address their struggles is by cutting down on turnovers. They turned the ball over 13 times in the first and finished the night with 21, with Brooklyn scoring 36 points off those miscues. Another would be picking up the energy and allowing it to help them play more organized fashion on both ends of the floor.

Those changes will likely have to come from Jordan Poole (13 points on 4-17 shooting, 1-11 from beyond the arc, and seven turnovers) and James Wiseman (30 points on 12-14 shooting in 27 minutes). That means Wiseman will likely have to continue to play at a consistently high level as he did on Wednesday. The Warriors can deal with Poole figuring out how to adjust to playing as a scouting report focus, but they likely need him to refind the magic he possessed last season.

“The simpler [he] plays, the easier shots [he] gets. It sounds like a bit of a paradox, but it’s been an issue here for us the past few games,” Kerr said. “The last couple of nights [he was] just trying way too hard.”

For now, the Warriors are stuck in a weird place while they figure out their win-and-develop-now ethos. For Green, that means Golden State must keep their cool over this stretch without Curry in the lineup. As well as Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green, and maintaining Klay Thompson for the long haul.

“You have to have that understanding because you don’t want to overreact,” Green told ESPN. “In saying that, the most important thing is always playing right; as long as you’re not making effort-related mistakes, you live with the results — we just have to understand where we are.”

The post Steve Kerr On the Golden State Warriors’ ‘Bad Road Trip’ appeared first on SLAM.

On Tuesday, their 132-94 loss to the Knicks in Madison Square Garden can be chalked up as a mixed result as they never led and played without Stephen Curry for the third straight game since he went down with a shoulder injury on Dec. 14. Golden State never led after the Knicks opened the game with an 8-0 run and never looked back during a wire-twire-win that gave New York their eight straight win.

The Warriors made it as close as 35-33 in the first-half but the Knicks pulled away over time and entered halftime with a 69-56 lead.

“The Knicks are in a good groove right now. They totally outplayed us,” Kerr said per ESPN. “We sank tonight. We’re trying to hang in there and we will. Another game tomorrow.”

When Anthony Slater of The Athletic asked about the fourth quarter effort Kerr got from Jordan Poole (26 points), Moses Moody (11 points), Jonathan Kuminga (13 points, four rebounds, and four assists) James Wiseman (four points, three rebounds, one steal, two blocks), the nine-time champ said that Golden State’s young guys are “working their butts off” and that they have “to keep our energy and our spirit up” when “things don’t go well.”

Steve Kerr on the struggles from the younger portion of the roster tonight vs Knicks pic.twitter.com/6B5u1T5sj4

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 21, 2022

As the Warriors continue to mesh their maxamzie both their present and future lineups, they will have to see that Poole, Moody, Kuminga, Wiseman, and Andrew Wiggins (when healthy) are capable of taking the torch Curry, KlayThompson, and Draymond Green lit and continue to build on the championship DNA and culture that’s led to four titles since 2015.

The post Steve Kerr on Young Players Keeping Their ‘Spirits Up’ During Tough Times appeared first on SLAM.

Wiseman hasn’t been the pivotal factor to the aging Dubs lineup as head coach Steve Kerr would’ve hoped for. With Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green nearing the end of their prime years, Kerr’s response was to send Wiseman down to the G League to “get more reps” in the G-League.

“Every player needs a foundation,” said Kerr, per NBC Sports, on how Wiseman jumpstarts his true potential. “but when you have a guy who missed all of that time with the circumstances and hasn’t been able to really build that foundation, you have to try and do the right thing to help him get going. This is what we’re thinking.”

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The Warriors have put their young talent in circumstances where they have to prove themselves individually, and the Wiseman project rides the same boat, even after a two-year absence.

Kerr suggests that a defense’s attention on the lottery pick will help expose Wiseman to a brighter offensive play style.

“I think it’s just all part of natural evolution of a young player who doesn’t have much experience, who happened to come into the league as the pandemic started and then missed a year-and-a-half with an injury. That’s it; that’s the bottom line.

“Practice is the big thing,” Kerr said. “When you get individualized attention like the guys do in the G League, it’s easier to make more progress, I think, rather than the stops and starts that happen during the NBA season when you’re not in the rotation.”

It’s inevitable that the Warriors will move on from their Big Three that has them four championships. However, good franchises build toward the future to keep the motions of title contention. Kerr and Golden State are making the proper adjustment towards making Wiseman a dominant presence as he was once projected to be.

The post Steve Kerr Won’t Rush James Wiseman Back: ‘Every Player Needs a Foundation’ appeared first on SLAM.

Kerr made the announcement on Monday following Golden State’s 132-95 win over the San Antonio Spurs. Wiseman played nine minutes and posted two points, two rebounds, and assists. He didn’t play in any of Golden’s Staes’ previous three games.

“Yeah, he going to go to Santa Cruz tomorrow, and we will keep him there for an extended period to get really good practice time and some games,” Kerr said per NBCS Warriors. “It’s not going to be one game and bring him back; we want to give him 10 straight days, something like that, and then come back.”

Steve Kerr said James Wiseman will go to the G-League tomorrow and stay down there for an extended time. Warriors want to get him reps. Said it could be 10 consecutive days or longer. pic.twitter.com/zIMOKAK8J6

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 15, 2022

Wiseman was expected to be a meaningful contributor on a Warriors team looking to prioritize winning and developing their young studs like Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody. The former No. 2 played 39 games before he suffered a season-ending knee injury that forced him to miss the entire 2021-22 season.

Wiseman first played in the G League in March before the Warriors shut him down. This season, the former Memphis Tiger is averaging 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds on 58.8 percent shooting from the field. When Jordan Poole was asked about Wiseman getting a G League assignment, the Michigan Man said he told Wiseman not to see it as a demotion or punishment.

Furthermore, Poole believes that Wiseman will be “a-okay” and that the G League assignment will allow Wiseman to get back into his bag and work on shots and moves he doesn’t get to utilize while being on the main roster.

Jordan Poole on James Wiseman going to the G-League (which Poole once did): “I told him it’s not a demotion. It’s not a punishment. He’s going to go down there and shoot as many shots as he wants, get as many touches as he wants, work on as many moves as he wants.” pic.twitter.com/ISivLSigjn

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 15, 2022

From a former player and coach’s perspective, Kerr knows it’s tough being a young player falling out of the rotation. However, the veteran coach has confidence that Wiseman will “find his way back to the rotation at some point.” Most of all, Kerr believes that the G League stint is “the best thing for him” since he’ll get “play a lot of minutes.”

“It’s really hard. It’s really hard for anybody to be in and out of the lineup, but for a young guy who’s been through a lot already, it’s a lot to go through,” Kerr said. “But this is part of his journey. Everybody’s got a different one. Part of his is he barely played any basketball before he got to the NBA, and he had a major injury. What I love about James is that he’s got incredible character, work ethic, and care for the team.

The Warriors will look to build on their latest win and build a winning streak when they play the Suns on Wednesday.

The post James Wiseman Headed to Santa Cruz For ‘Extended Period’ appeared first on SLAM.

That persistence paid off as the third-year big man played well at Summer League, where his tantalizing skillset shined. Wiseman said he felt good after Summer League play and Coach Steve Kerr recently raved about Wiseman gaining a lot of confidence in his knee.

In the Golden State Warrior’s first preseason game in Tokyo, Japan, versus the Washington Wizards, Wiseman sure looked like his old self finishing the game with 20 points on 72.7 percent shooting from the field while grabbing nine rebounds and one block as well.

“This is my first game out of two years,” Wiseman said. “But I just went out there and just played my game. I wasn’t trying to do as much; I wasn’t trying to do something that was outside of my boundaries, just keep the game simple and just be myself out there.”

Wiseman’s preseason debut lasted a little over twenty-three minutes a. The brief stint filled Warriors fans’ minds with optimism as the Dubs look to win back-to-back championships. Given the Golden State Warrior’s strong foundation, a budding young core of talent, and a roster full of elite vets, there talented is no reason why the Warriors should not be top favorites to win it all again this season.

With the 2023 NBA season set to tip off in just a few more days, the Warriors start their long journey to become the back-to-back champs Tuesday, Oct. 18, versus the Los Angles Lakers.

The post James Wiseman: ‘Just Played My Game’ During First Warriors Preseason Game appeared first on SLAM.

On the latest update for the Memphis product, things are looking solid. In fact, he’s spent the past couple of weeks playing pickup games, according to Coach Steve Kerr.

“He’s healthy,” Kerr said. He’s played in a ton of pickup games in our building – I think he’s got a lot of confidence in that knee now. That’s the first step. The next step is finding his role within this team.”   

The 21-year-old has still not scratched the surface of his potential. There’s a reason why he was selected with the second pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. When Wiseman played at Memphis, he averaged 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game on an impressive 76.9 percent shooting from the field. This translated well in his rookie season when he averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds on 51.9 percent shooting. 

With Wiseman rejoining a team that just won the championship in June, carving out a role with the Warriors will be an exciting development. Wiseman is a part of the developmental core that the Warriors have chosen to pair with their “foundational six.” The Memphis products’ two-way skillset and ability to stretch the court opens another dimension for the Warriors on both ends of the court.

Training camp and the regular-season are around the corner, and with these significant developments coming out about Wiseman, it’s time to get excited about what the third-year big man has in store for this upcoming season.

The post Steve Kerr: James Wiseman Has ‘a Lot of Confidence in His Knee’ After Summer Playing Pickup Games appeared first on SLAM.

Wiggins has since brought the Larry O’Brien Trophy to Canada as he hosted youth camps in Vaughan and Mississauga. The 2022 All-Star returning to his hometown allowed him to prove to the kids attending his camp that when you believe in yourself and shut out the outside news, you can reap a lot of awards.

“I feel great,” Wiggins said per the Toronto Star. “There’s been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of people had counted me out, but to be back and … winning a championship? All the sacrifices, all the ups, and downs, all the stuff was worth it. It makes the story that much better.”

HOW'S THE AIR UP THERE WIGGS? (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/dR3ehMFnft

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) June 14, 2022

It was a challenging and humbling lesson Wiggins learned as he went from being a volume scorer in Minnesota known for putting up empty calorie stats on losing teams. When he arrived in Golden State, Wiggins was able to thrive as the third star on a group headlined by Stephen Curry and Klay Thomspon.

Under the watchful eye of GM Bob Myers, Coach Steve Kerr, Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green, Maple Jordan embraced being a two-way wing that could be relied on to get a bucket late in the shot clock while guarding the toughest perimeter threat.

“When I step on the court, I’ve always been confident in what I can do,” he said. “When I was in Minnesota, I put up numbers. But people said, ‘He put up numbers on a bad team.’ So, I go to Golden State, and I’m not scoring as much, but I’m doing a lot at a more efficient rate, so the whole world gets to see.”

Wiggs is so damn smooth.
(via @warriors) pic.twitter.com/T9unmLqnet

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) June 14, 2022

He played a pivotal role in guarding offensive threats like Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, and Jayson Tatum. He took on each assignment and won more than his fair share of battles, averaging 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game on 46.9 percent shooting from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.

“It’s been a different type of summer, but the best summer of my life,” he said. “It’s been amazing coming down here and feeling all this love and positivity. It’s been great. Just being able to bring the trophy back home to where it all started for me —— where all my friends and family are, that helped me get to the place where I’m at now.”

Wiggins hopes to come into the 2022-23 season with a freshly minted extension after carrying a significant two-way load last season. The Warriors will likely have to lean on Wiggins as they implement Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, and James Wiseman into the lineup after they let several veterans walk away in free agency.

The post Andrew Wiggins Feeling ‘Great’ During ‘Best Summer’ of His Life appeared first on SLAM.

The eighth-year head coach identified Kevon Looney, Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green as the Warriors’ “foundational six,” with the latter three serving as the team’s established core.

Kerr believes Golden State’s core is among the best in the League, especially after adding the younger trio of Looney, Wiggins, and Poole to the mix.

“We have probably more continuity than anybody in the League with our core group,” Kerr said. “Add Wiggs and Jordan and the institutional knowledge they’ve gained, and we have a really strong foundation. That’s the most important thing you can have in this League.

“We had it going into last year. But the difference was, a year ago, we didn’t know if we were really contenders. That’s why the 18-2 start was so big. It reinforced it. This year, being defending champs, it doesn’t guarantee anything, but you have a confident sense in who you are. We have our main six guys back, the foundational six that we know are going to be on the court for big minutes every night. That allows us to bring our young guys along.”

The Dubs’ roster also features future stars such as Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, and James Wiseman, all of whom Kerr claims “have shown really good signs.” Moody and Kuminga saw action in the playoffs during the Warriors’ Finals run last season (and also impressed in the most recent NBA Summer League), while Wiseman was sidelined due to injury.

The Warriors will have a lot to prove as they focus on their win-and-develop mindset. Their future success will be predicated on their young core of Moody, Kuminga, Wiseman, Poole, and Wiggins being able to successfully takeover once Golden State’s “foundational six” leave the Warriors.

Next season will be a different journey after the Warriors’ lottery-bound seasons but coming off a championship brings a different level of confidence. Furthermore, being able to get substantial contributions from Moody, Kuminga, and Wiseman on top of his “foundational six” next season, the future could hold another championship for Golden State.

“I don’t know that it’s a bigger challenge because last year felt like a huge challenge going in,” Kerr said. “Last year felt more daunting because we’d had two lousy seasons in a row. This year feels different because we’re the defending champs. It feels like we’ve got our groove back. We’ll have Klay back for a full season. Our foundation in place. While we’re absolutely going to play a lot of young guys, we kind of have a core six, a foundational six players who are really the ones that make everything happen and will allow us to bring the young guys along.”

Photos via Getty Images.

The post Steve Kerr on the ‘Strong Foundation’ the Warriors Have Built appeared first on SLAM.

After his first pitch, Curry was subsequently interviewed and asked about living in the Bay Area and wanting to stay with the Golden State Warriors for the entirety of his career.

“That was a really natural process actually for me,” Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area, “Cause like you said, I just finished my 13th year, and to be able to say I’ve played for one team my entire career, and also to say between the 10 years in Oakland and these last three years in San Francisco, I can honestly say how special this place is — Honestly, I don’t want to leave ever. I want this to be my one and only home, and even thinking about what happens after basketball is done.”

“I don’t want to leave ever. I want this to be my one and only home” – Steph on the Bay Area pic.twitter.com/aWHLidy8b1

— NBC Sports Bay Area & CA (@NBCSAuthentic) July 27, 2022

Curry signed a four-year max extension last summer and won’t hit the free agent market until 2026, when he’s 38-years-old. The happiness that will come with playing Golden State comes with one caveat; he wants to play out the final years of his career with the championship teammates that he’s gone to battle with for the last decade.

Curry reportedly wants Golden State’s front office to pay Draymond Green and Klay Thompson so they can play together, at least through the end of his current contract. The only problem is the luxury tax the Warriors will have to pay to keep Green, Thompson, Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and Jordan Poole on the team for the next three seasons. Green reportedly wants a max contract that, per multiple reports, could be in the four-year range.

The one thing that could keep the band together would be a player deciding to take a paycut. The Warriors are also in a win-and-develop mode right now as they focus on making the most out of Curry, Thompson, and Green’s remaining prime years while making sure that their young core of Poole, Moses Moody, Jonathan Kuminga, and James Wiseman get a chance to play and be thrown the fire of playing on a championship contender team.

The post Stephen Curry Wants Golden State ‘to Be His One and Only Home’ appeared first on SLAM.

Wiseman missed all of 2021-22 as he recovered from knee surgery that cut his rookie season short. The Warriors had remained optimistic that Wiseman would be able to get onto the floor for Summer League 2022, which has happened and paid dividends in this game against the Spurs.

Wiseman looked like the player Golden State has been looking for since he was drafted back in 2020, finishing with 11 points, two rebounds, and two blocks in 20 minutes. He played four-minute spurts to start each quarter but will look to ramp up his time as the summer league progresses.

“It felt good,” Wiseman said via ESPN. “There are a lot of things for me to work on; I mean, my timing was pretty off. But this was my first game. I had fun out there.”

Wiseman’s feel for the game has not left him, but considering the amount of time he has missed, being out on the floor and playing the way he did was a massive success for both him and the Warriors.

“It was physical. That’s a huge adjustment,” Wiseman said. “I’ve been out, so I’ve been doing a lot of individual workouts. So for me to just get that pushing, that physical contact, I’m proud to be out there.”

Johnathan Kumninga led the way for the Warriors with 28 points, while Mac McClung added 22 points in their 86-85 win over the Spurs in their second Summer League game.

Golden State’s next game will be against the Boston Celtics, with tipoff slated for 8:30 p.m. EST.

The post James Wiseman ‘Felt Good’ After Summer League Debut appeared first on SLAM.

According to Shams Charania, Wiseman could be ready to go for NBA Summer League as he nears clearance for full-contact basketball activities.

Wiseman hasn’t been on an NBA floor since April 4, 2021, when he played six minutes in a win over Houston, but hasn’t appeared since due to knee troubles. Wiseman flew to London to receive plasmic injection treatments with Warriors GM Bob Meyers and has been progressing ever since, per the Athletic:

“Wiseman underwent an orthobiologic injection during a multiday trip to London with Warriors general manager Bob Myers in April, multiple sources told The Athletic, as both sides worked to find a way to promote healing in the knee. The plasma-rich injection in Wiseman’s arm was a therapeutic treatment used to increase healing throughout the body.

A torn meniscus cut Wiseman’s rookie season short, and he had surgery to repair it in April 2021 under the belief he would return in the middle of the 2021-22 season. But persistent swelling led to multiple setbacks and a December knee scope, eventually persuading the Warriors to shut down Wiseman and his decision to go the orthobiologic route.”

Having played in 39 NBA games, Wiseman holds career averages of 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds on 51.9 percent shooting from the field (31.6 percent from distance). Wiseman is included in a young core of Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody behind the leading group of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green to maintain Golden State’s stranglehold on the Western Conference.

Wiseman’s upcoming summer will be critical for his career. Golden State will be hosting the California Classic on July 2 and 3, giving Wiseman his first big opportunity to return to play before heading out to Las Vegas.

The post REPORT: Warriors Optimistic James Wiseman Can Play in Summer League appeared first on SLAM.

“I just stay strong, of course, like I have some hard times — just me being a competitor like I want to obviously be out there playing with my teammates. Just keeping an even-keeled head, just making sure I reassure myself that I’m young, I’m 21-years-old, so I got a long career ahead of me. So, like it’s really just taking it one day at a time, just keep working. That’s really it.”

Wiseman was attempting to suit up for the Warriors back in March after a three-game stint with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G-League; however, the franchise decided to shut him down to protect his long-term outlook. Coach Steve Kerr said it was a ‘very simple’ decision, adding that they are protecting Wiseman’s future.

Wiseman averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the field last year in his rookie season. He will be watching his squad take on the Memphis Grizzlies Monday night for Game 4, currently up 2-1 in the series.

The post James Wiseman Explains Mindset Amidst Rehabbing Process appeared first on SLAM.

ESPN Sources: Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman has been ruled out for the rest of the season and will continue rehabilitating his right knee. Wiseman has been recovering from a meniscus repair last April, and the team has been cautious to protect him for the long-term.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 25, 2022

The second-year center has spent the entirety of the season recovering from the meniscus repair he underwent in April 2021. According to Woj, Wiseman is expected to remain in the Bay Area while he continues to rehab.

WISEMAN SLAM pic.twitter.com/lauEbIRzf9

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 11, 2022

Wiseman isn’t expected to undergo more surgery. Wiseman will focus on strength and conditioning exercises. Wiseman played three games with the Sants Cruz Warriors, the G-League affiliate of the Golden State Warriors. The former Memphis Tiger averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

Steve Kerr on the decision to shut James Wiseman down for the rest of the season: “it was ultimately very simple: we’re protecting James’ future.”

Says he wouldn’t be able to play in any games for the next few weeks, so made sense to rule him out.

— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) March 25, 2022

The post REPORT: James Wiseman Out For the Rest of the Season appeared first on SLAM.

The seven-footer’s rookie campaign was cut short in early April of last year when he underwent surgery for a torn right meniscus. Initially cleared to practice back in November, Wiseman underwent a second cleanup surgery on the same knee in mid-December – slowing the comeback of the former Memphis product.

James Wiseman’s most powerful moment from the first half. Putback dunk of his own miss. pic.twitter.com/FGM995BCL4

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 11, 2022

Wiseman had previously been assigned to the G-League three times throughout the season; however, he hadn’t stepped foot on the court until March 10, when he saw his first action in around 11 months. Starting in all three of his appearances, Wiseman averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks on 56.0 percent shooting on 21.0 minutes per game.

WISEMAN SLAM pic.twitter.com/lauEbIRzf9

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 11, 2022

In his G-League debut against the Stockton Kings, Wiseman dropped 18 points in just 21 minutes of action while pulling down six boards.

The Athletic’s Anthony Slater reported that the second-year center remains out for tonight’s matchup against the Boston Celtics but will practice with the team over the next few days before making his regular-season debut.

The post Former No. 2 Pick James Wiseman Set to Make Regular Season Debut for Warriors appeared first on SLAM.

Currently recovering from a knee injury, Wiseman is playing in the G League for the Warriors’ Santa Cruz affiliate. Over the past couple of games, he has looked spectacular. 

In a 110-107 win over the G League Ignite on Sunday, the 7-footer produced 19 points and 14 rebounds. 

This came right after an 18-point performance earlier in the week. As the 20-year-old gets back to full strength, he could be a huge piece for the Warriors. 

While most young players don’t get a ton of time in the postseason, Wiseman has the size that could be useful for Golden State in limited action. Last season, he averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game with the struggling Warriors. 

This season upon his return, his role will look very different. However, he could still be another key piece in certain situations as the Warriors look to win a championship.

The post James Wiseman Continues to Impress on Road Back to NBA appeared first on SLAM.

James Wiseman update: pic.twitter.com/lTn2nXqCRY

— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) March 8, 2022

When Wiseman joins the Santa Cruz lineup, he will be playing competitive basketball for the first time since tearing his meniscus in April 2021. He has missed the last 65 games of the season while he’s rehabbed from the injury. It’s been typical for players nearing their rehab process to have a stint in the G League to ramp everything up. However, Wiseman’s situation is unique in that he will play two games when the Warriors play the Stockton Kings.

When Wiseman returns to the NBA, he will be fighting for minutes with 17 games left to go in the season and the Warriors amid a 13-13 slump and a slide to third place in the Western Conference standings. Draymond Green has also announced that he will be returning to the Dubs’ lineup as soon as next week when Golden State hosts the Washington Wizards.

Wiseman played 39 games last year, where he averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a rookie.

The post Warriors Announce James Wiseman Has Been Cleared to Play in G League Games appeared first on SLAM.

On Thursday, Andrew Wiggins spoke with NBC Sports’ Taylor Wirth about Wiseman and how he believes he will “dominate” after getting back on the floor.

“Obviously he’s had his ups and downs already in his career with the injury and stuff, but he’s still so young and if you look at him now, he’s a tank, man,” Wiggins said. “He’s a tank, he’s been working hard, so I feel like when he comes back he’s going to dominate. He has his head on straight, he comes into the facility, to the games with a good attitude, ready to work, ready to get better. The main thing about him is he listens, he wants to get better, he wants to learn. I think the sky is the limit for him also.”

Wiseman has been out the entire season thus far as he is still recovering from a torn meniscus suffered during the tail end of last season. According to Wirth, Wiseman is now back to participating in 5-on-5 drills in Warriors’ practices and could be nearing a return in the coming weeks.

Wiseman had a mixed bag of performances in his rookie season, playing in 39 games and averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. However, Wiseman’s presence didn’t result in positive play from the Warriors as they ended the season with a -10.2 offensive rating with Wiseman on the court and +4.5 when he was off the court. That gave Wiseman an on-off offensive rating of -14.7, the worst on the team among players who played more than 100 minutes last season, per basketball reference.

However, Wiseman was only a rookie last season, a rookie with little experience playing against high-end basketball talent at that. He only played three games with the University of Memphis the season before getting drafted.

The Warriors certainly don’t need to rush Wiseman back, as, without him, they currently sit second in the Western Conference with a record of 42-17.

The post Andrew Wiggins Says James Wiseman Will ‘Dominate’ Upon Return appeared first on SLAM.

The Warriors announced that Thompson and teammate James Wiseman would be scheduled to practice with the Santa Cruz Warriors just days ago. The five-time NBA All-Star was cleared for 5-on-5 scrimmages leading up to hitting the floor with Santa Cruz.

On Monday, the Warriors released footage of 1/2 of the splash brothers back on the court getting shots in during G League practice.

Thompson has been out since Game 6 of the 2019 Finals, where he tore his ACL going on to tear his Achilles tendon during a workout before the start of last season. Hopes are finally high for the three-time champ as he has been given the green light to play ball after two years.

“He’s cleared for full go, so everything we did was full 100 percent he was going,” Santa Cruz’s Head Coach Seth Cooper says (per CBS Sports). “There was no holding him back. There was no pulling back, it was just letting him go and letting him experience playing all out. He did that, and he looked really good doing it… I think he made his first 18 shots.”

With Thompson cleared his Warriors return is around the corner as he is expected to make his debut around Christmas.

“I hate to use the phrase ‘can’t wait,’ because I love to be present in my life,” Thompson says, per CBS Sports. “But I cannot wait. I really, really enjoy being a Warrior.”

The post Klay Thompson Given The Greenlight To Go 100 Percent appeared first on SLAM.

Wiseman played in just 39 games (27 starts) due to injury while averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest. He shot 62.8 percent from the free throw line and 31.6 percent from three. 

In the modern NBA, the value of the center seems to have fallen in recent drafts. To some, it was surprising that Wiseman went in the top-three. However, Deandre Ayton was the top pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and has turned out to be a star. 

In fact, Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently talked on 95.7 The Game about Wiseman, saying he thinks he can become the next Ayton. 

“To me, the most interesting thing has just been watching Deandre Ayton. And I talk to James and text him, and I’m just so inspired by what Ayton has been able to do, and I think there’s no reason why James can’t follow that same path. What Phoenix has done with Ayton is they’ve really streamlined his game. You look back a couple years ago and he was kind of all over the map. You could tell how gifted he was but you weren’t exactly sure what he was, and they’ve figured it out.”

While Ayton put up much better numbers his rookie season than Wiseman, his game has certainly come a long way to now. If Wiseman can make strides over the next few seasons, perhaps he can make the postseason impact that Ayton has over the past month. 

The post Steve Kerr Hopes James Wiseman Can Follow in DeAndre Ayton’s Footsteps appeared first on SLAM.

In the upcoming draft, they’ll draft at No. 7 (via Minnesota) and No. 14 overall. 

For a team looking to compete now and worry less about the future, these future picks along with Wiseman make an enticing package for teams looking to get younger. 

According to John Hollinger of The Athletic, there is a widespread expectation that the Warriors will explore the idea of using No. 7 and Wiseman to add talent in effort to build a roster that is more equipped to win now. 

This makes complete sense, especially for a team that has a star trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green who are all in their thirties. The window of contention with this era of Warriors is slowly closing.

Hollinger also reported that one name to watch as Golden State looks to bolster their roster is Pascal Siakam of the Toronto Raptors. Last season he averaged 21.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game at age 27. 

Over the next month, the NBA should have quite a few shakeups, with the Warriors among the top of the list when it comes to teams who could make a splash. 

The post Warriors To Shop James Wiseman and Lottery Picks To Bolster Roster appeared first on SLAM.

Wiseman, the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, will miss the remainder of the 2020-21 season and his progress will be updated in September.

In what’s been a trying season for the Warriors collectively, Wiseman has had perhaps the toughest luck of any player aside from sidelined Splash Brother, Klay Thompson.

Wiseman has had an up-and-down rookie season, facing plenty of criticism while looking both uncertain and ineffective on either end. In addition, Wiseman missed all but four games in March with a wrist injury, bringing his durability into question. Skilled and athletic though Wiseman may be, his raw talent appeared to be a forced fit in Golden State’s system.

All that said, averaging 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game this season, Wiseman’s baseline—both in skillset and production—is higher than many players’.

With the 20-year-old Tennessee native now able to continue his development out of the public eye, his play in 2021-22 could be the talk of the Bay.

The post James Wiseman Out for Remainder of Season Following Knee Surgery appeared first on SLAM.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, further evaluation revealed a meniscus injury in his right knee. The Warriors are consulting with doctors over the coming days, but there’s a real chance that Wiseman could miss the rest of the regular season.

While this could be something that ends his rookie year, injuries have been the story of Wiseman’s first NBA season. To this point, he’s only appeared in 39 games, bouncing back and fourth between the starting lineup and coming off the bench. 

With that in mind, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft has been solid when he is on the court. Wiseman is currently averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, shooting .519 from the floor. Whether he’s out for the season or not, the Warriors are struggling with a 25-28 record and only 19 games remaining. 

The post Warriors’ James Wiseman Suffers Meniscus Injury, Could End Rookie Season appeared first on SLAM.

Aside from losing 50 games in the 2019-20 and having to work their hardest just to reach the playoffs this season, Golden State’s reputation as a franchise that excels at identifying star talent and developing young players has also been under fire.

The up-and-down play of Kelly Oubre Jr. contrasts heavily with the improvement of former first overall pick Andrew Wiggins. Juan Toscano-Anderson, Jordan Poole, Eric Paschall and Mychal Mulder are all solid young pieces but then there’s rookie center James Wiseman, the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

Playing a position that’s notoriously difficult for young players to excel in at the NBA level, Wiseman has shown flashes of the talent that led to him being Golden State’s first lottery selection since 2012.

However, Wiseman has had his fair share of struggles as well, losing his starting role in January as his scoring average and plus-minus drop each month.

That being said, Golden State the assets to make a splash move before the Mar. 25 trade deadline.

Not only do the Warriors have Wiseman, a tantalizing prospect even if the start to his career hasn’t been ideal, but they also hold the Minnesota Timberwolves’ (top-3 protected) first-round pick in the upcoming draft.

While a trade package that includes both Wiseman and Minnesota’s pick could easily get Golden State a high-quality player, it likely won’t be the route that the Warriors take. That’s not for lack of interest, though.

According to The Mercury News’ Wes Goldberg, Golden State won’t move Wiseman unless they get a “perennial All-Star” in return.

This makes sense when considering Wiseman’s upside; a skilled and athletic 7-footer, Wiseman has averaged 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game this season while shooting .367 percent from 3-point range. While the Golden State Warriors would like to get better now, and take advantage of a resurgent Curry, they also have to consider their long-term future.

There’s a fair amount of logic in only trading Wiseman for a perennial All-Star that Golden State is certain can be a cornerstone, and potentially anchor the team when Chef Curry finally decides to hang them up.

The post Warriors Will Only Move James Wiseman for ‘Perennial All-Star’ appeared first on SLAM.

That puts Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman directly in the spotlight, with both having an up-and-down seasons that have paled in comparison to LaMelo’s.

For Edwards at least, the conversation is less of a question about his potential than where the two players are at in their respective careers.

Already a starter, Edwards has averaged 15.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.9 steal per game while demonstrating an elite level of athleticism and downhill explosion that’s eerily reminiscent of future Hall of Fame guard Dwyane Wade.

However, Edwards has had a rough go of it as a jump shooter, knocking down just .381 percent of his shots from the floor and .315 percent of his 3-point attempts.

For those wondering, Timberwolves superstar Karl-Anthony Towns — the face of the franchise and a player known to be both candid and outspoken — is of the mindset that Edwards being selected with the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft was “the right decision for [Minnesota] as a franchise.”

While Edwards seems to take offense to the ongoing debate, KAT’s support of his young teammate speaks volumes about himself, Edwards and the Timberwolves franchise as a whole.

In addition, while Ball has played the best of all rookies in his class, Edwards was the most natural fit (of he, Ball and Wiseman) for a Minnesota team that already had Towns at center and prized facilitator in Ricky Rubio. As guard Malik Beasley’s future with Minnesota was in question in the offseason before signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Timberwolves, Edwards provided them with a safety net as well.

All in all, it’s difficult to say that Edwards wasn’t the right pick for Minnesota, no matter how well Ball is playing for Charlotte.

The post Karl-Anthony Towns: Anthony Edwards Being Drafted with No. 1 Pick ‘the Right Decision’ appeared first on SLAM.

Last season, Ja Morant won the NBA Rookie of the Award for his stellar rookie season. While him and the 2019 rookie class had a ton of talent, this new class in 2020 has made a huge impact on their respective teams this season. With a unique mix of guards, wings and bigs coming out of the 2020 NBA Draft, it’s a wide open race to this point.

A third of the way through the 2020-21 season, we broke down our top five Rookie of the Year candidates.

LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets)

No. 3 Pick – 14.6 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.5 SPG

Ball has come off the bench for the majority of the season, but has been a quality producer when he gets his opportunities. Showing flashes of being a consistent triple-double type player, Ball is an above average rebounder for a guard and also an excellent passer. 

As soon as he became a starter on the team, his numbers only got better, making him look like perhaps the best player in his class. With his length defensively, Ball also leads the Hornets in steals per game. 

Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)

No. 1 Pick – 14.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.7 SPG, .316 3P%

Spending most of his time coming off the bench as a spark plug scorer this season, Edwards has shown just how high his offensive ceiling is. While his shooting splits haven’t been great, some of the moves he’s shown off have been impressive. 

If he continues to get more time, there’s no reason he couldn’t score the most points of any rookie this season. As he adjusts to the professional pace of play, his efficiency should rise. 

Tyrese Haliburton (Sacramento Kings)

No. 12 Pick – 12.5 PPG, 5.3 APG, 3.6 RPG, .452 3P%

While on draft night it looked like the Kings may have gotten a steal in Haliburton at No. 12, he’s proven that point with his high level of production. While he doesn’t have the most exciting style of play, he gets the job done in every possible way. 

When it comes to filling up the stat sheet, Haliburton is by far the best rookie. He’s shown an ability to do it all on offense as well as defense and plays well beyond his years from an IQ standpoint. 

Immanuel Quickley (New York Knicks)

No. 25 Pick – 12.4 PPG, 2.6 APG, .942 FT%, .370 3P%

The Knicks got an absolute steal in Quickley late in the first round and might have gotten their point guard of the future. With one of the most pure floaters in the entire NBA, he’s been tough to guard all season. 

Quickley has also been extremely efficient from both the free throw line and from beyond the arc. He’s been a key part of New York’s solid start to the 2020-21 season. 

James Wiseman (Golden State Warriors)

No. 2 Pick – 12.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.3 BPG, .409 3P%

Many were skeptical of drafting a center so early in the draft with the modern NBA play style, but the Warriors should be happy with their selection in Wiseman. Although he was recently benched, he’s shown flashes of being great in this league down the road. 

While he has the size to dominate in the paint and pull down rebounds, Wiseman has also shown his shooting touch and ability to run the floor. As the season goes on, expect Wiseman to continue to improve and end up being among the best in this rookie class. 

The post NBA Award Watch: 2021 Rookie of the Year appeared first on SLAM.

In a huge game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, Wiseman finished with four points, three rebounds and five turnovers in less than 13 minutes while getting in foul trouble.

After the game, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic and the rest of the media talked to Steph Curry and got insight into his take on Wiseman’s struggles, who said, “I used to get benched for Acie Law.”

This likely wasn’t a jab at Curry’s former teammate Acie Law, whose four-year NBA career included two partial seasons in the Bay Area, but rather a comment about how much things can change and how tough it is for rookies in the NBA.

It’s much too early to judge Wiseman, as he’s only played in 13 career NBA games and has a bright future ahead of him.

Note: Law’s run with Texas A&M, including a 2006-07 season in which he averaged 18.1 points on .458 from three, was elite.

The post Steph Curry on James Wiseman: ‘I Used To Get Benched For Acie Law” appeared first on SLAM.

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Selected first, second, sixth and fifteenth, respectively, all four of them donned the shirts during their life-changing night. 

Peep the artistry below and hit up Foot Locker for more of their #12DaysOfGreatness. 

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The Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets, who pick at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively, have been in constant contact with Wiseman and were the two teams to formally work the promising prospect out over the course of the pre-draft process.

Wiseman confirmed that he had been in touch with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who hold the No. 1 pick, and other teams but stressed that the Warriors and Hornets were those he’d been in most direct contact with.

While Wiseman’s frame and skill set make him a plausible candidate to be selected first overall, there’s no consensus over the order in which the draft’s top prospects will be selected.

Wiseman played just three games at Memphis before leaving the program due to eligibility issues but his production in the small sample size was a sight to behold.

Wiseman averaged 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game in just 23 minutes of action per night in the NCAA and has been preparing for the NBA Draft in Miami, Florida since.

The seven-foot-one Memphis product is a prototypical, modern day big man with a skill set that draws comparisons to those of Chris Bosh and Anthony Davis.

The post James Wiseman Only Worked Out with Hornets, Warriors appeared first on SLAM.

According to Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report, some individuals within the Golden State Warriors organization believe that Wiseman could be off the board at No. 2, regardless of whether the Wolves make a trade or not.

Wiseman was the best player in the high school class of 2019. Ranked No. 1 in the ESPN Top 100, he was set to play at the University of Memphis with expectations of being a one-and-done and potentially the top pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.

However, things didn’t go as planned early in his college career. He made his Memphis debut with 28 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in just 22 minutes with a dominant performance. Just three days later, he was ruled ineligible by the NCAA due to the logistics of his recruiting process.

After several back and forth legal orders, Wiseman was able to play in two more games before his season was ultimately shut down and he was forced to start working out on his own to prepare for the draft. He played in three total college games, averaging 19.7 points 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per contest.

Another team that has been mentioned to be interested in moving up to the first slot to take him are the Charlotte Hornets, who, per Wasserman, ‘want Wiseman badly’ but are currently slated at No. 3 overall.

In the modern NBA, the traditional center is starting to become less attractive and less common. However, with how talented Wiseman is at 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-6 wingspan, he could be worth being taken first overall.

The post Report: James Wiseman In Play at No. 1 Overall appeared first on SLAM.

For that reason, the Wolves might be interested in trading the No. 1 pick for “a win-now player,” as The Ringer‘s Kevin O’Connor reports.

Executives around the NBA say the Timberwolves prefer to trade down or out of this pick to bring in a win-now player to help Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell.

In September, Bleacher Report‘s Jonathan Wasserman also suggested that Minnesota’s priority is to trade the No. 1 pick.

The Timberwolves must decide how well a top prospect would fit with their star duo of Karl Anthony-Towns and D’Angelo Russell. Because KAT and Russell primarily play center and point guard, respectively, it would seem to diminish the potential impact of James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball.

In Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves’ decision is no less complicated. Last season, shooting guard Malik Beasley averaged 20.7 points per game after being traded to Minnesota. The 2019-20 season was also shooting guard Jarrett Culver‘s rookie season for the Wolves.

The post Report: Timberwolves Open To Trading No. 1 Pick In 2020 NBA Draft appeared first on SLAM.

Doing so, a topic of internal conversation according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, would allow the team to possibility secure young player on a rookie contract while still making a pick toward the back end of the lottery.

One such prospect that New York has their eye on if they move back in the draft is Tyrese Maxey, a 19-year-old guard who was a one-and-done for the Kentucky Wildcats. With the Knicks’ notorious issues at point guard, one of the premier positions in the NBA, it makes sense that they would have interest in Maxey.

In fact, SNY’s Ian Begley has reported that New York has also interviewed point guard Kira Lewis Jr.; Lewis is widely regarded as a mid-to-late first-round pick, much like Maxey.

After seven consecutive seasons with records below .500, patience may be wearing thin with the Knicks’ rebuild both internally and externally. In one of the league’s larger markets, with two NBA championships and multiple Hall of Fame players having led their teams to the playoffs, expectations are for the franchise to reclaim some of their former glory sooner rather than later.

Such could be the draw to prospects like Wiseman or Ball, who have the makings of high-level of NBA players.

The post Knicks Considering Trading Back In 2020 NBA Draft appeared first on SLAM.

Wiseman will sign with an agent.

Wiseman has been embroiled in a battle with the NCAA over his eligibility and was most recently suspended for a total of 11 games. The NCAA claims that Wiseman took financial compensation from a booster of the program.

That supposed booster is Memphis alum and current Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway who previously coached Wiseman during his high school and AAU days.

With this news, Wiseman’s NCAA career comes to a premature end but nobody can say that it wasn’t a dominant one. In three games, Wiseman averaged 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks despite playing just 23 minutes per contest.

The 18-year-old, 7’1″ center is a popular candidate to be drafted with the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft.

Wiseman had five games left on the NCAA mandated suspension but there was no end in sight to the eligibility questions that surrounded his tenure on campus.

The post James Wiseman Leaves Memphis To Prep For Draft appeared first on SLAM.

We wrote about the NCAA’s official eligibility ruling earlier this month, wherein Wiseman was deemed ineligible to play for Memphis due to a favor that Tigers alum Penny Hardaway had done for the Wiseman family back in 2017.

Hardaway was Wiseman’s AAU coach at the time – not the head coach of the Tigers – and helped pay for some of the moving expenses when Wiseman’s family moved to the area.

Fast forward to the 2019-20 NCAA campaign and Hardaway is the head coach of the program and Wiseman, their star center. The NCAA claims that Hardaway qualifies as a booster of the program given that he has donated to the university previously – that would render his contact with Wiseman impermissible.

In response, the University of Memphis filed a temporary restraining order that they figured cleared the way for the big man to play while the legal proceedings unfolded.

Eligible or not, Wiseman has wreaked havoc in three college games so far this season. The 7’1″ potential No. 1 2020 NBA Draft pick has averaged 19.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.

Wiseman’s camp initially filed a lawsuit when the NCAA made its declaration. That lawsuit, according to Billy Witz of the New York Times, was dropped by Wiseman’s lawyers when they figured it had become an impediment to a fair resolution with the NCAA.

According to Jeff Goodman of Stadium, Wiseman’s camp intends to appeal the suspension.

The post NCAA Suspends James Wiseman 11 Games appeared first on SLAM.

Andy Katz of NCAA.com relays a statement from Memphis itself that says the university has issued an emergency temporary restraining order that allows Wiseman to continue playing for the Tigers while the legal proceedings ensue.

The Memphis statement describes an investigation into the Wiseman family’s move back in 2017 although Wojnarowski tweets that the move took place in 2018.

As a result of their findings, the NCAA has deemed Hardaway a booster, effectively bringing to an end the coveted 2020 NBA Draft prospect’s collegiate career after a single game.

According to Jeff Goodman of Stadium, when Wiseman moved from Nashville to Memphis to play high school and AAU ball, Hardaway helped to pay moving expenses.

Wiseman is now suing the NCAA, Goodman reports.

Regardless of how the situation pans out legally, Wiseman is on the shortlist of potential players being floated as a candidate to get drafted with the top pick next June. This development isn’t likely to change that.

Wiseman will, however, need to look elsewhere for opportunities to showcase his skills if NCAA play is in fact out of the picture.

In his first and only taste of college action thus far, Wiseman posted absurd 28 points, 11 rebounds and 3 blocks in just 22 minutes of action.

While there’s no indication of what will come next for the center, it stands to reason that Wiseman could at least considering taking his talents abroad, joining a pair of other expected lottery picks R.J. Hampton and LaMelo Ball, both of whom are playing professionally in Australia.

Of course Wiseman could seek other opportunities as well, like NBA rookie Darius Bazley did last season when he opted to accept an internship with New Balance last season.

The post James Wiseman Ruled Ineligible By NCAA appeared first on SLAM.

But the question remains: Who’ll go No. 1 next June?

The post Will LaMelo Ball Be the No. 1 Pick? 🤔 2020 NBA Draft Preview! appeared first on SLAM.

And then, without warning, Wiseman is abruptly invited to join the convo. Jevonte Holmes, his coach at Memphis East (TN) High, is sharing an anecdote that needs the player’s confirmation. It’s a short anecdote with a happy ending, but the beginning is a different story; the beginning is harsh, the sort of memory a kid doesn’t want to be reminded of, let alone asked to re-live. But Holmes tells it anyway, because he knows it’s worth telling, and he knows how it ends. Holmes invites Wiseman to play his part, and he does, without hesitation.

“There was a point in time last year,” Holmes begins, “in a game we lost, I think he missed…” and here the coach alters his audience. “How many free throws did you miss down the stretch?”

Wiseman’s reply is immediate: “About 6 or 7.”

“He missed like 6, 7 free throws,” Holmes says, rejoining the conversation. “And you know what he did every day this year after practice? He made 50, in a row, before he’d leave the gym.”

Oh, and the kicker: “This year, he shot 81 percent from the line.”

This year refers to Wiseman’s recently completed senior season, which ended in a loss in the Tennessee class AAA state championship game. East played the final without 6-8 forward and top-150 recruit Malcolm Dandridge, but there were no excuses for Wiseman and Co. afterward, only frustration—and motivation. “We fought hard, but we just came up short. It drives me a lot,” Wiseman says, the pain of the loss days earlier still sharp. “I think about it every night, and it just makes me want to work hard every day. Work hard, and just play harder.”

Another setback endured, and another bounce back is in the works. If this is James Wiseman’s M.O., it bodes very well for his future. The 7-1, 230-pounder ended his senior season as the consensus No. 1 player in the 2019 class, a spot he began creeping up on in the summer of 2017 and solidified over the past 18 months. Too big, too athletic, too versatile, too talented, too much: Wiseman has all the traits of the game’s new breed of unicorn, a fact he emphasized last November at the press conference where he announced his college choice—by reaching into a bag and pulling out a stuffed unicorn with a Memphis Tigers logo on it.

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He’s a Nashville native, but Wiseman’s decision to sign with the University of Memphis has something of a hometown feel to it. He spent his first two years of high school at Nashville’s private Ensworth School, but he suited up in the summer for Penny Hardaway’s Team Penny on the Nike AAU circuit. Given that connection, it made sense that Wiseman would head a few hours southwest in search of better coaching and tougher competition to finish his high school career at Memphis East—where Penny was then the school’s head coach. The inevitable eligibility questions followed, but Wiseman ultimately suited up for East and helped lead the school to its third straight state title in the spring of 2018.

And that’s when Penny made the jump to the college ranks, taking the job at his alma mater and giving his now-former star player a fairly easy choice about his own college decision. Last November, with some help from that stuffed unicorn, Wiseman made it official: He’ll be joined on campus next fall by his teammate Dandridge, and by top-25 wing DJ Jeffries. For the first time in a decade, the Tigers should have the look of a title contender. “Memphis is gonna be tough next year,” Wiseman promises. “We’ve got a lot of top players coming in, and even though I’ll be a freshman, I’m trying to just be a leader, learn as much as possible and elevate my game to the next level.”

You’d be a fool to bet against his continued elevation. Holmes, a fixture on the Memphis hoop scene who took over for Hardaway prior to last season, has known Wiseman for three years. “Y’all don’t understand how hard this kid works,” Holmes says. “Just look at this year, look at his numbers: Shot like 42 percent from the three-point line this year, averaged a double-double, and in the playoffs he averaged a triple-double. Double-teamed, tripled-teamed all year, fouled, just playing through it. He averaged like 10 blocked shots through the regional tournament—he dominated games this year by rebounding and blocking shots. His whole mental approach to the game. His progression has been amazing.”

His coach expects the nation to see plenty of the same next year—“I expect a dynamic player, and I think his numbers are going to be amazing,” Holmes says—but he still sees ample room for more improvement. Understand, that’s not because there are gaping holes in Wiseman’s game, but simply because of how driven the player is to get better at the things he’s already great at. “It’s just him wanting to be great,” the coach says. “He doesn’t just want to be an NBA guy—he wants to be a great. We talk about it all the time, what his end goal is, and how hard he’s gotta work to get there.” Back on that unicorn tip, Holmes cites Wiseman’s rare combination of size, agility, on-court IQ and guard-like body control in comparing him to three guys in particular: Kevin Garnett, Marvin Bagley and Chris Bosh.

It’s almost impossible, when discussing the generational talent and potential of a guy who’s still in high school (Wiseman turned 18 in March), to forget that he’s still technically a high school kid. Wiseman himself will remind you, without really trying. He comes off as a fairly low-key guy, describing his off-court demeanor as “funny, careful, very humble. I just love to have fun.” You saw it in the unicorn bit at his college announcement, and you see it in his easy smile. You see it when he talks about school in a way that would seem corny if it wasn’t so clearly sincere—“I really love school. I take my education seriously, and I always stay engaged in class,” he says—and when he talks about “just being a regular kid—reading books, playing video games, just having fun hanging out with my family.”

And if you were lucky enough to be at Memphis East on a sunny day in late March, you saw it when Grizzlies standout rookie Jaren Jackson Jr came through to drop off some hardware.

“Alright, I’m just gonna break it all the way down,” Wiseman says a day later. “We were in the locker room, and Coach told my teammates to get out. He said, ‘Let’s go to the office.’ I’m like, Why am I going outside? As I peeked my head out the door, I saw a lot of people, my teammates, and then as I opened the door, I saw Jaren Jackson with the award.”

That’s the Gatorade National Player of the Year award, in case you missed it.

“I was like, this is crazy. It was a random moment, a surreal moment. I didn’t even know I was going to win. But I’m truly blessed.”

A FIBA U16 Americas gold medal, a McDonald’s invite, that Gatorade trophy hand-delivered by a burgeoning NBA star—indeed, the blessings have already piled up, and they don’t seem likely to stop anytime soon. At this point, the script seems already written: A year in college, a top-3 draft spot, and then wait and watch as he figures out just how high his ceiling really is. But it’s not written, of course, not yet. Wiseman will have to keep working to turn those blessings into future greatness. He can’t—and won’t—take the elevation for granted.

—

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Ryan Jones is a Contributing Editor at SLAM. Follow him on Twitter at @thefarmerjones.

Portraits by Jonathan Izquierdo

The post RUN THIS TOWN: James Wiseman Is Already a Hometown Hero 🦄 appeared first on SLAM.

In the latest episode of SLAM Day in the Life, the Gatorade National Boys Player of the Year explains why he’s staying in the 901 to play alongside DJ Jeffries for Penny Hardaway at Memphis.

Get to know Memphis’ biggest star (who happens to be fluent in Chinese) in the video above.

The post James Wiseman Is Bringing Memphis BACK 🦄 | SLAM Day in the Life appeared first on SLAM.

Peep the full JBC game highlights above!

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Wiseman walked out of the doors of his high school, Memphis East in Tennessee, to see none other than Memphis Grizzlies star rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. standing there with the trophy, alongside James’ family and seemingly the entire school.

“I saw Jaren, one of my favorite players, and he had the award in his hand. That was surreal,” Wiseman said in a Gatorade-produced video from the surprise.

The 7-0 Wiseman put in a stellar season for the Mustangs, averaging 25.3 points, 14.3 rebounds and 5.4 blocks. The McDonald’s All-American led Memphis East to the championship game of the Class AAA state tournament. He committed in November to play for NBA legend Penny Hardaway at the University of Memphis next season.

SLAM caught up with Jackson Jr following the surprise to talk about his involvement in the award presentation, why Wiseman is a great choice for the award and what the future could look like for the Tigers-bound big man.

—

SLAM: What was it like to present the award to James? I’m sure he was really excited when he found out what was happening.

Jaren Jackson Jr.: It was great. He was so surprised at the whole thing. I was able to be there with him, his family, his teammates, his coaches and his whole school, just welcoming him into a fraternity of great players who won that award. He’s gonna be in the likes of players that won MVPs, All-Stars, a bunch of draft picks, so he’s in great company.

SLAM: What has really impressed you about James so far?

JJJ: The way he plays the game—he plays like a team player. He’s been so good at if someone triple-teams him or doubles him, he’s able to kick it out to his players. And he’s able to dominate inside and outside as a versatile player himself. He does so well at all of that stuff.

SLAM: Do you see any of your 17-year-old self in James at all?

JJJ: Maybe a little bit with us being versatile. But he’s him, I’m me. He’s going to be so dominant at Memphis. I’m looking forward to seeing what he has going for him.

SLAM: What does the accomplishment say about James as a player to win such a prestigious award?

JJJ: It says that he’s the best in the country. And to be the best out of the best, I told him, it’s one of those 1-percent awards—one of those awards you won’t understand the impact of it until you sit down and really digest it. He’s definitely going to digest it later, [and] realize all the great things he did to get to this point, all the hard work he put in with his family.

SLAM: What advice would you offer him, one big man to another?

JJJ: I would say stay patient. Always work on all parts of your game, because you never know when you’re going to be called upon to handle the ball in a clutch position, or shoot the ball; you definitely don’t want to be a liability out there. So keep working on all parts of your game, but also trust the people around you. You got Penny Hardaway, Mike Miller out there [at the University of Memphis] helping him, so he’s got one of the best guys ever to help him.

SLAM: And what do you think the future holds for James?

JJJ: I mean, I think he’s going to be one of the best to do this. But that’s me thinking down the line. The way he should think is to try to get his team to the tournament. It goes without saying that he’s going to be a high [2020 NBA Draft] pick. I would try to focus on college while he’s there, and try to compete for something special because these opportunities, you’re always going to miss them when they’re over. And when he gets to the league, being a dominant player, I think he can be one of the best to do this … he has the makings of a Hall-of-Famer.

—

Isaiah De Los Santos is an editorial assistant for SLAM. Follow him on twitter @IsaiahDeLos.

Photos via Gatorade.

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https://twitter.com/FrankieVision/status/1064939251631038464

Wiseman played with the Bluff City Legends in Nike’s EYBL circuit and averaged 15.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks and was co-MVP at the SLAM Summer Classic earlier this year.

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The young hoopers took a tour of the Facebook and Instagram headquarters, cruised on the Hudson River and ultimately showed out at Dyckman.

Who do you you wanna see compete in Vol. 2 next year?

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Check out the dunk contest that earned Stanley captain honors in the video below.

The post FULL GAME BROADCAST: SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 1 🗽 appeared first on SLAM.

In the 16U division, All Ohio Red took the crown. For the 15U guys, Team United upset Georgia Stars. College coaches were present at every big time matchup and as you can imagine, there was no shortage of talent. Here are a few of the players in the next wave of guys in the Nike EYBL:

Vernon Carey, 6-9, PF, Nike Team Florida 15U, 2019

With absolutely stunning improvement, Vernon Carey went from merely a big 6-foot-5ish kid to serious 6-foot-9 prospect in a matter of a year. The lefty drilled countless J’s out to the three point line, made sick passes out of the post, and punished the rim throughout the weekend. To put his performance in perspective, Miami and Florida both offered Carey before he could make it back home to Florida.

Christian Brown, 6-6, SF, Georgia Stars 15U, 2019

The best freshman in South Carolina made the pilgrimage down south to run with Georgia’s top EYBL program and has fit in perfectly. Once simply an athlete with a high motor, Brown put in some major work in his game over the past year to emerge as one of the best wings in the class. He shot the ball well from deep, was a beast on the offensive glass, and had some of the most ferocious dunks of the weekend. While the Stars lost in the 15U ‘chip, Brown showed enough to receive an offer from Clemson before he got back to Columbia.

Coby White, 6-4, PG, CP3 All-Stars 16U, 2018

One of the fastest rising players in the class of 2018, Coby White has been a huge difference maker on the 16U level the past two weekends for CP3. He showed off blazing end to end speed, was a great finisher at the rack, and dropped a number of sick dimes throughout the weekend. As he continues to grow as a playmaker, expect more ACC schools to join Clemson and Wake Forest offering him scholarships.

Juwan Gary, 6-5, SG, Team United 15U, 2019

The leading scorer for the 15U Champs, Juwan Gary changed the game on both ends of the hardwood with his crazy athleticism. He finished above the rim, put the clamps on people on the perimeter, and a number of emphatic blocks. Already with an offer from in state South Carolina, Gary is getting interest from schools in every BCS conference.

James Wiseman, 6-10, PF/C, St. Louis Eagles 16U, 2019

With perhaps the most long term potential of anyone in the 16U division, James Wiseman showed the type of upside that has college coaches drooling. He was outstanding running the floor, rebounded the ball well above the rim, and displayed a fluid J out to 17 feet. Having shown monstrous improvement over the last year, expect Wiseman to have no shortage of big time offers by the time that the summer is over.

Shareef O’Neal, 6-9, PF, Cal Supreme 16U, 2018

While he was a little banged up by the end of the tournament, Shareef O’Neal showed that his game is nothing like his Dad’s. The face-up power forward was great running the floor, hit a number of J’s out to the three point line, and was a shot-blocking presence on the other end. LSU head coach Johnny Jones was courtside for the bulk of Shareef’s games hoping to bring another O’Neal to Baton Rouge.

Marquise Walker, 5-11, PG, Nike Team Florida 15U, 2019

Arguably the best freshman in Chicago, Marquise Walker opted to run with Nike Team Florida on the AAU circuit and showed no shortage of swagger. He was virtually impossible to stop going to the rack, bombed a number of NBA range three pointers, and converted some ridiculously creative takes to the tin. Running the show for Isaiah Thomas’ alma mater, expect to hear a lot about Walker in the Windy City.

Tre Turner, 6-4, SG, CP3 All-Stars 16U, 2018

While CP3 is straight up stacked, it was Tre Turner who paced the team late in tournament play. The athletic combo guard shot the lights out of the ball from deep and defended both backcourt spots, showing why people are sleeping on him. A big time wide receiver, Turner already has offers from Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina, and more on the gridiron.

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