On Friday, the NBA’s first preseason game of the new season took place between the Golden State Warriors and Washington Wizards in Tokyo.
The game itself was rather ugly, as one may expect a preseason game to be – both teams shot under 37 percent, with the Warriors winning 96-87.
Klay Thompson didn’t play, while Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins went a combined 2-of-18 from the field.
However, the notable aspect of the contest was the play of center James Wiseman, who played in his first NBA game since suffering a knee injury late in the 2020-21 season.
Coming off the bench, he played 24 minutes and put up 20 points and nine rebounds.
It was a glimpse of how he can help the Warriors be even more unstoppable this season.
Wiseman Is The Big Man The Warriors Have Always Needed
During the Curry era, the Warriors have won four world championships, but they have always been mediocre or even weak in the middle.
Their starting centers over the last eight years have been unremarkable men such as Andrew Bogut, Zaza Pachulia and Kevon Looney, all of whom did little more than grab a few rebounds, set some picks and play some defense.
Wiseman can do all that and then some.
He is a strong scorer inside the paint, as he is capable of throwing down strong dunks in the face of a defender.
JAMES WISEMAN HATERS REAL QUIET TODAY pic.twitter.com/KZVTZLHPFI
— O🅿️timistic Warriors Fan 🏆 (@GoIdenState) September 30, 2022
His nine rebounds is proof he can help Golden State limit teams to one shot, which is one of the big keys to their deadly transition game.
Speaking of its transition game, Wiseman can get out on the fast break and finish.
On Saturday, the Warriors and Wizards faced off again, and Wiseman didn’t play well, going just 2-of-7 from the floor for eight points and three rebounds and 18 minutes.
But he did flash another aspect of his game by hitting a 3-pointer.
James Wiseman for 3. 🔥👀
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 2, 2022
As a rookie during the 2020-21 season, Wiseman didn’t shoot well from downtown, hitting just 31.6 percent from that distance, but it’s a part of his game he could improve on.
The Warriors have never really had an inside threat offensively over the past several years, as they’ve been primarily a perimeter-oriented team that relies on lots of screens and ball movement to create good looks in their set offense.
But with Wiseman posting up on occasion and being a threat to catch the ball and finish in the paint, it could get Curry and Thompson easier looks from 3-point land.
Wiseman Can Help Extend Golden State’s Championship Window
Curry is 34 while Thompson and Draymond Green are both 32, and while none of them are old, head coach Steve Kerr needs to start thinking about conserving them a bit during the regular season.
The best way to do so is to rely more on younger players, especially offensively.
Wiseman is not going to score a lot of points, at least during this phase of his career, but by having the occasional 20-point game, as he did on Friday, he can allow Curry, Thompson and Green to coast a little more, which would allow them to stay fresh for the playoffs and perhaps even add an extra year to their respective primes.
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