“It’s crazy, I grew up watching him in middle school, it’s a once in a lifetime experience”- Golden State Warriors’ youngster excited after facing Anthony Davis, says ‘he’s still a rival’
The Golden State Warriors opened the 2022-23 NBA season with a 14-point win over the LA Lakers and for one player from the Warriors, it was a great experience.
After missing the 2021-22 NBA season due to a knee injury, James Wiseman was back for Golden State as he put up 8 points in 16 minutes on four-for-six shooting.
Wiseman spoke on the experience of going toe-to-toe with Anthony Davis in a postgame interview, stating:
"It's crazy because, I used to watch him play when I was in high school, middle school, and just now playing against him on the court, it's a once in a lifetime experience but at the end of the day.
"He's still a rival to me, so I just gotta make sure that I watch his tendencies and everything and watch film on him and everybody, all the bigs"
Wiseman describes what it was like to play against AD https://t.co/ZUWS0GIh0W
On studying AD's game, Wiseman said:
"I feel like in the preseason, it was kind of like a little taste for me, but I was watching a lot of film on him yesterday just to see what moves he likes, and studying that.
"I feel like I played a solid game, but it's just one game, we got 81 more games to go, so I'm not really sweating it like that."
On an otherwise poor shooting night, Stephen Curry tallied 33 points, six rebounds and seven assists. He shot four out of 13 from 3-point range and 10 out of 22 from the field.
Klay Thompson played his first opening night game since 2019, putting up 18 points on six from 13 shooting. Andrew Wiggins was the Golden State Warriors' best 3-point shooter, putting up 20 points, shooting four from seven from deep.
The Golden State Warriors play the Denver Nuggets on Friday.
What should the Golden State Warriors expect from James Wiseman this season
With Kevon Looney having cemented his spot as the starting center for the Golden State Warriors this season, James Wiseman is likely to come off the bench for a good portion of the season.
Head coach Steve Kerr recently suggested that their young core will play a lot more this season, which could also result in Wiseman getting the starter minutes as the season progresses.
So, what can the former second overall pick give the Warriors?
For starters, his offense has looked a lot more polished than the defense. This was the case in the Summer League, in Japan and last night as well. This doesn't necessarily mean that the development on the defensive end is poor, just not at the same level as his offense.
Jordan Poole and James Wiseman's pick-and-roll has paid some dividends, however, a lot more could be established once Wiseman's minutes increase.
However, with how the Warriors have fed Wiseman in the paint, be it through Kuminga, Poole, Green or Curry. Wiseman's FG% has been solid throughout his tenure.
On the defensive end of the floor, Wiseman has proven himself to be a competent rim protector, however, how he fares on the perimeter is yet to be seen.