"We ended up putting James in front of him” - Bob Myers reveals the Golden State Warriors debated taking LaMelo Ball over James Wiseman, backs the latter to come good on return from injury
The Golden State Warriors selected James Wiseman with the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and so far, it is still unclear whether the move will ever pay off. With the third overall pick in that draft, the Charlotte Hornets selected LaMelo Ball, who won last season's rookie of the year and has already turned into an NBA star.
Whenever a player is selected at the top of the draft and struggles, the NBA world is quick to criticize the selection. It definitely does not help when the player selected right behind you has already established themselves as a star in the league.
This is precisely what is happening with James Wiseman. Last season he only played in 39 games, in which he averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in just 21.4 minutes. On the other hand, Ball this season is averaging 20.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 8.1 assists in 33.1 minutes, while Wiseman has yet to play.
Warriors General Manager Bob Myers went on The Ringer, The Ryan Russillo Podcast and talked about the Warriors front office deciding to take Wiseman over Ball. Myers went on to say,
“We hashed out the whole thing as far as what we thought. We ended up ranking it the way we did. We watched LaMelo, he had a great workout when we saw him. We knew he would be a really good player, but we ended up putting James in front of him."
"We ended up putting James in front of him."
Warriors GM Bob Myers said the team debated between drafting James Wiseman and LaMelo Ball in 2020 but remain confident in their selection
bit.ly/3E2YhB2 https://t.co/6Q12eD462d
This comment seems to go two ways. This could be seen as Myers praising his young player, who has struggled to stay healthy, still holding hope that when he gets on the court, Wiseman will show exactly why he was worth the second overall pick.
On the other hand, it is kind of a none-stance comment. Myers does not truly back his player, but more stats the facts that they thought Wiseman was better than Ball at the time.
Did the Golden State Warriors make a mistake by drafting James Wiseman?
Even though James Wiseman has yet to play an entire season, and when he played, he didn’t look how Warriors fans might have hoped, selecting might still be the right decision. This is not to say that Ball isn’t a better player because he has shown that he is, but Wiseman is just a potentially better fit for the Warriors right now.
This Warriors team is built around Stephen Curry and Draymond Green and how they play so well off one another. Having Ball, a player who needs the ball in his hands, would take the ball out of the two corner pieces of the franchise. On top of that, a back-field with Curry, Klay Thompson, Jordan Poole, and Ball might just be a little too crowded.
Here are the highlights from what's probably James Wiseman's best half as a professional to this point. Attacked the glass, head on swivel for passes, used in more conducive high screen action by Kerr -- 11 points, 10 rebounds, 1 big time block. https://t.co/psfnJ1uGli
As of now, Wiseman can offer something that does not exist on the Warriors roster, and that is a rim-running lob threat who can block many shots. According to NBA stats, the Warriors run a pick and roll play just 12.8% of the time, which is the second-lowest per range in the NBA. This could be because head coach Steve Kerr does not like to run pick and roll. The Warriors are usually at the bottom of that list in percentages, or Kerr has never had someone to run that play effectively. If Kerr wants to run more pick and rolls, James Wiseman could be that man.
Furthermore, Wiseman is still young, at just 20 years old, and before being drafted, he pretty much did not play competitive team basketball the year before. Last season was Wiseman’s rookie year, in one of the most complex offenses in the NBA, and he was probably off his game after spending so much time away from the game.
When James Wiseman finally plays this season, he should be more prepared for life in the NBA, which means he might play up to the potential of a second overall pick.
Also Read: Who is LaMelo Ball’s girlfriend, Ashlyn Castro?