Warriors rookie James Wiseman has not had the year that he or the Warriors were hoping from him. While big men are expected to have rookie struggles, the Warriors were hoping for someone that could provide an immediate impact. His inconsistent play has not matched the expectation of a team that has playoff hopes, although the flashes of brilliance have provided a glimpse at what he could be.
Unfortunately for Wiseman his year may be over before he’s able to build more positive momentum. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Wiseman has suffered a torn right meniscus that, while the Warriors and Wiseman will get second opinions on, they fear will cause him to miss the rest of the regular season.
Warriors are consulting with doctors over next couple of days, but there's certainly an expectation that Wiseman could miss the rest of the regular season, sources tell ESPN. For now, they're still working through a plan of action and timeline. https://t.co/nDGISG1y4Z
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 11, 2021
Warriors rookie James Wiseman is feared to be out for the remainder of the season, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. https://t.co/Au3tWBXvmI
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 11, 2021
Wiseman came to the Warriors in a unique situation. In a normal situation, the second overall pick of the draft would have an opportunity to make mistakes on the floor and get better through experience. The Warriors were in that position however due to a flurry of injuries, not because they were in a rebuilding situation. This is a team with an established core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. While Thompson suffered an Achilles injury before the season started, a team with those players is going to try and compete. As a result, Wiseman was thrust into a role that was bigger than he was likely ready for, and without the ability to work through rookie struggles in the way you would like.
Hopefully, Wiseman will recover quickly. Despite his struggles this year he’s still playing 21 minutes per game and as previously noted, has had some positive showings. He’s clearly a rotation player and someone the Warriors have been depending on to fill minutes. Nobody wants to see anyone get hurt, but seeing a young guy go down always has an extra layer of disappointment to it, as it’s now possible two of the top three picks from this year’s draft will be sidelined for the rest of the year.
