Why is James Wiseman playing in the G League? Warriors, Steve Kerr see assignment to Santa Cruz as opportunity for growth

Scott Rafferty

Why is James Wiseman playing in the G League? Warriors, Steve Kerr see assignment to Santa Cruz as opportunity for growth image

When the Warriors lost Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica and Damion Lee in the offseason, the hope was that the young guys would fill their void.

So far, that hasn't been the case.

It's been particularly tough going for James Wiseman. The No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Wiseman started the 2022-23 season in Golden State's rotation but didn't log a single minute in three of the team's last four games.

Wiseman is now being assigned to the G League indefinitely.

MORE: What's wrong with the Warriors? Thompson, Wiseman at center of problems

Why is James Wiseman playing in the G League?

As TSN's Jordan Greer detailed here, Wiseman has looked out of sorts on both ends of the court for extended stretches to start this season. In particular, he hasn't given the Warriors the screening they need from their big man and is often in no man's land on defense.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recently admitted that it's going to take Wiseman time to develop. (No surprise there, as Wiseman played three games in college and has been limited to 50 games to this point of his NBA career due to injuries.) Kerr added that his G League assignment will give him some much-needed reps.

"He's going 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. "It's not going to be, you know, one game and bring him back. We want to give him maybe 10 straight days, something like that, and come back.

"We all know things happen in this league. He's going to find his way back to the rotation at some point. But the best thing for him is to play a lot of minutes and get a lot of reps."

Jordan Poole, who spent some time in the G League early in his career, shared a similar message, saying Wiseman's assignment should not be viewed as a demotion.

"It's not a punishment," explained Poole, who says he talks to Wiseman "all of the time."

"You're going to go down there and shoot as many shots as you want, get as many touches as you want, work on as many moves as you want. Just have fun. It's just basketball, you know?"

MORE: How James Wiseman recovered from meniscus tear

What is James Wiseman averaging in the G League?

Wiseman played in three games in the G League with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the 2021-22 season.

Here's what he averaged in those games:

  • 17.3 points per game
  • 9.7 rebounds per game
  • 1.7 blocks per game
  • 4.0 turnovers per game
  • 2.0 personal fouls per game
  • 20.7 minutes per game
  • 52.4 percent field goal shooting
  • 25.0 percent 3-point shooting
  • 50.0 percent free throw shooting

Santa Cruz Warriors schedule 2022-23

Here are the five upcoming games on Santa Cruz's schedule:

Date Opponent Time (ET) Streaming
Nov. 19 vs. South Bay Lakers 10:00 p.m. NBAGLeague.com
Nov. 21 at Salt Lake City Stars 9:00 p.m. NBAGLeague.com
Nov. 22 at Salt Lake City Stars 9:00 p.m. ESPN+
Nov. 25 vs. G League Ignite 10:00 p.m. NBAGLeague.com, NBA App
Nov. 26 vs. Stockton Kings 10:00 p.m. NBAGLeague.com

How to watch the NBA G League this season

  • TV: ESPN, ESPN+, NBA TV
  • Streaming: NBA App, ESPN App, NBAGLeague.com

It's easier than ever to watch the G League this season, as games will be streamed on the NBA App and NBA TV, and televised on ESPN's family of networks.

Scott Rafferty

Scott Rafferty Photo

 

Scott Rafferty is an experienced NBA journalist who first started writing for The Sporting News in 2017. There are few things he appreciates more than a Nikola Jokic no-look pass, Klay Thompson heat check or Giannis Antetokounmpo eurostep. He's a member of the NBA Global team.