Golden State Warriors rookie James Wiseman suffered a right knee injury on Tuesday during the team’s 125-109 victory over the Houston Rockets. Following the injury, reports surfaced that the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft could miss the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign as a result of a torn meniscus and, on Thursday, the Warriors announced that Wiseman had successful surgery to address the issue.
Warriors center James Wiseman underwent successful surgery today to repair a right meniscal tear: pic.twitter.com/ncZO49Iwdv
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) April 15, 2021
Wiseman’s rookie season ends after only 39 games, with the seven-footer appearing for 21.4 minutes per game. He averaged 11.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest, shooting 51.9 percent from the floor and making 27 starts for the playoff-contending Warriors.
“He puts on a brave face,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters on Wednesday. “Obviously, we saw him [Tuesday] at practice and had a chance to visit with him, and he’s in relatively good spirits, but he’s putting on a brave face for sure. He’s a young guy — this isn’t supposed to happen so early in someone’s career. So it’s a tough time for sure. So fingers are crossed, and we’ll see how everything goes [Thursday].”
Golden State’s official statement indicates that Wiseman will be re-evaluated in September, potentially ruling him out of any Summer League action, should the league hold the annual event in Las Vegas. Still, hopes are high for Wiseman as a core piece of the Warriors in the future and, even after the surgery, he projects to be healthy and available for the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
