We’re almost at the end of the road. Warriors center James Wiseman was confirmed by the Warriors public relations team to be playing with the Warriors’ G-League affiliate in Santa Cruz for a pair of upcoming games. The first will be in Stockton against the Kings’ affiliate, and the second will be against the G-League’s premier team for talent skipping college basketball, the Ignite.

As stated in the release, Wiseman underwent meniscus surgery almost a year ago in April, and missed the team’s first 65 games of this season. Wiseman’s timeline was complicated and extended by the need for arthroscopic surgery in December to clean out remaining scar tissue from the rehab from the operation.

Last season, Wiseman played in 39 games for the Warriors. He averaged 11 points and 5 rebounds per game in about 20 minutes, also adding a hair under a block per game as well. The former number 2 overall pick was a puzzling pick for the Dubs as he wasn’t seen as a “win-now” player. However, his ceiling is incredibly high and he already looks more bulked-up than last season, where his muscle and strength was in question as he had to bang around with NBA centers.

Big Jim has looked good in practice so far, getting work in with new Warriors development coach Dejan Milojevic, a former EuroLeague hooper who coached after his playing career. He is credited to having worked with reigning MVP Nikola Jokic while overseas in order to improve his game. Milojevic said earlier this season that the goal was to “simplify” the game for Wiseman so he had a more grounded base to jump off of on his development track. Wiseman himself said Milojevic has helped him a lot with the basics, even going back to the fundamentals of basketball to get him league-ready.

Wiseman should fill a needed gap at the center position, a spot the Warriors have needed some help with in recent times. While fans and even some analysts clamored for the team to pick up a center on the free agent buyout market after the trade deadline passed, the Warriors front office opted to stand pat and wait for the center they already have on the roster, a wise decision by any stretch.

It’s unclear when James Wiseman will make his season debut with the Warriors, but a pair of games in Santa Cruz likely means his return is imminent. He will join Draymond Green as a returning presence to the team soon, with the Warriors finally getting to full strength for the last stretch of the season. They currently sit behind the Suns and Grizzlies in the standings, good for 3rd in the Western Conference, but a late-season push is certainly viable with Wiseman returning.

All eyes will be on the 2nd-year center, and while it’s reasonable to temper expectations for his return, expect Wiseman to be integrated into the rotation quickly so he can get some more experienced minutes prior to the first round of the playoffs. Golden State will most likely look to capitalize on his height for rim protection on defense, with vertical spacing and screen-setting on offense, while they continue his development track so he can improve over the next few seasons from valuable backup to the dynasty’s next centerpiece.

(Photo credit: Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)