James Wiseman's Arthroscopy in December

According to a recent report via Anthony Slater of The Athletic, it looks like we now know fully why James Wiseman’s recovery time has been slowed. Aside from a recent need for quarantine because of a positive Covid test, Slater disclosed that Wiseman recently underwent an arthroscopic surgery to clear up some minor swelling in his knee.

Wiseman initially tore his meniscus and needed to undergo surgery last season. There were a lot of questions about why he hadn’t progressed to contact-readiness given the timeframe from his surgery to now, which is right around 9 months.

While a second surgery can certainly be alarming, it’s not uncommon, as Slater pointed out in his article, for a hooper to have this kind of issue. Arthroscopic surgery is primarily done to clean out extra scar tissue and mend other minor issues that only extend the timeline, not mess with the knee any further. Plenty of players have undergone minor setbacks requiring secondary procedures and have come back strong.

The timing of this report, however, does raise an interesting question: Why did the Warriors announce it now, instead when the surgery was scheduled? The easiest answer is that the announcement could have laid some clouds around Klay Thompson’s return, which was one of the most celebrated moments in not just Warriors, but NBA regular season history. A Wiseman announcement, while not entirely offsetting it, could have had a hand in ruining the moment if that was announced at the time.

Another reason is because the Warriors would want to see a timeline before making the announcement. Just how much of a delay would Wiseman undergo due to his knee surgery? How would that affect his training schedule? A third reason, similarly related, was the speculation that Wiseman had some issues back in December. The timeframe would have had him back before Thompson was, and it raised some questions. This announcement, post-fanfare of Klay’s return, could be a response to those concerns.

There’s a lot of hope for the future with James Wiseman, mostly from the players and coaching staff. While fans are less-enthused, and this news could make them even more-so, there’s plenty to be excited about. Russell Westbrook underwent similar complications in 2013, and he ended up being a league MVP a few years later. It’s better for Wiseman to have these issues now, before he’s a crucial franchise cornerstone, than in the future.

Wiseman will continue to be re-evaluated, and this surgery casts doubt on whether he’ll be back before the all-star break or even in time for the playoffs. It will certainly affect Kerr’s projected rotations, as he won’t have Wiseman fully-integrated and ready to go on either offense or defense. His status will be monitored especially closely now that he’s the only player on the Warriors roster with a looming injury.

(Photo credit: National Basketball Association)