Golden State Warriors injury update: James Wiseman nearing return, could be ready by Thanksgiving
The Golden State Warriors continue to be the talk of the basketball world. The team currently finds themselves with the best record in the NBA at 10-1 as they prepare for a challenging game tonight against the Chicago Bulls. If that wasn't good enough news for Warriors fans, it looks like they are finally going to be getting some added backup back on the floor.
According to a report from Golden State Warriors insider Monte Poole, it appears James Wiseman could return to the team around Thanksgiving week. Wiseman underwent a surgical procedure this offseason and has yet to play in a game so far. The athletic big man was the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
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While many thought that the Warriors could become a dangerous team this year, no one expected the team to be having such early success in the opening month of the season. Golden State has been firing on all cylinders and has gotten great production from a number of contributing pieces. Jordan Poole has shone and suddenly turned into a potential Most Improved Player of the Year candidate. Players such as Gary Payton II, Nemanja Bjelica, and Otto Porter Jr. have all become big parts of the rotation as well. But second-year big man James Wiseman could give the Warriors another dangerous piece to the puzzle. When asked about Wiseman's progress, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that the young big man has slowly progressed but he's been getting a lot of work in as of late.
“It’s been an incremental approach, so there hasn’t been that “ah-ha” moment where he just took this leap,” Kerr said. “We’ve been purposely deliberate the last couple of months and just slowly ramping things up. He’s moving well and he’s engaged in a lot of drill work in practice and doing 5-on-0 stuff. He’s getting a lot of work in and he’s feeling good.”
Can James Wiseman make Golden State even more dangerous?
When the Golden State Warriors selected James Wiseman with the second overall pick, it gave the Warriors the potential to have an athletic big man with serious two-way potential. Although Wiseman was raw throughout his rookie season, he showed serious flashes of upside to become a dangerous asset for this Golden State team moving forward.
The Warriors have been patient with Wiseman throughout his rehab since offseason surgery. Instead of trying to rush Wiseman back into action, they've installed a plan to work with him on allowing the game to slow down. Wiseman has even gone on to say that his head was spinning as a rookie, and he's finally excited to get back onto the court with an offseason of mental preparation for the upcoming year. If Wiseman can take the next step forward in his development, the Warriors are going to have a lethal weapon down low. At 7'1" with explosive leaping ability, Wiseman has the talent to give the Warriors an entirely new wrinkle in their system. Golden State will continue to be a dangerous shooting team from the perimeter, but the hope is that Wiseman can give them a dangerous pick-and-roll threat who can finish above the rim.