Kerr says Wiseman could begin on court contact work as early as next week
James Wiseman tore his meniscus in April last season. The former number two overall pick from Memphis has not played in a game since April 10th.
Thursday evening, prior to the Warriors home matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies, Steve Kerr gave reporters an update on the Status of James Wiseman.
Anthony Slater of the Athletic tweeted:
“Steve Kerr said Rick Celebrini told him in recent days that James Wiseman could be ready to advance to on-court contact next week. Wiseman has been stuck in individual drill limbo the last couple of months.”
It has been over 7 months since Wiseman suffered his initial meniscus tear. Typically, this injury can take anywhere between six to nine months to fully recover from. The Dubs have made it clear they are in no rush to get Wiseman back into the fold. They are playing great basketball right now and there really is no need to put a rush on his return.
Regardless, they put a lot of faith into Wiseman when they drafted him with the second pick in the 2020 NBA draft. The third pick in that same draft was Lamelo Ball. A ROY, and prospective all-star this year. Wiseman doesn’t need to be an all-star right away like Lamelo, he just needs to be healthy so that he can continue to get reps, develop, and inevitably contribute to this Warriors team. A healthy Wiseman would fill the void add a long, athletic big who can really cause problems around the paint while serving as a constant lob threat, something the Warriors don’t really have at the moment.
With so much vested interest in Wiseman, it’s smart that the team has given him ample time to recover from injury.
Sports Illustrated’s Howard Beck recently stated in an article that Golden State team officials are hopeful of a January return to play for James Wiseman, and that Wiseman’s first minutes back may come with the G-League Santa Cruz Warriors. However, if Wiseman returns to action and after some time goes down with yet another injury, one has to ask, at what point do the Warriors begin to explore Wiseman's trade potential? He may be worth a lot this early in his career. Although, as of now Wiseman is almost untradable according to Golden State brass. He’s the centerpiece of the Warriors’ big plan to compete for a championship now while also planning and building for the future.
(Photo credit: Randall Benton/AP)