A Very Sad “What if”
He stands 6’11, 240 lbs. He averaged 19.7 points and 10.7 rebounds for Memphis in college. Granted, he only played three games, but it was clear that his potential was sky-high. Sadly, bad luck and injuries have haunted him in his very short NBA career. This is the unfortunate reality of James Wiseman.
Many NBA fans, whether casual or die-hard, have likely given up on the former No. 2 overall pick at this point. His rookie year was cut short by a torn meniscus. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds but played only 39 games. This was incredibly disappointing for a Warriors team hoping for an actual big man to pair with Stephen Curry. Due to the meniscus injury, Wiseman was sidelined for the entire 2021-2022 season and wouldn’t take the court again until the 2022-2023 season. The young big man played just 21 games for the Warriors, averaging 6.9 points and 3.5 rebounds. Eventually, he was forced out of the Warriors' rotation as Coach Steve Kerr opted for JaMychal Green as the backup center. On February 9, 2023, the former No. 2 overall pick was shipped to Detroit.
James Wiseman’s time in Detroit started off hopeful, but that hope quickly disintegrated in the absolute wreckage of bad Pistons basketball. For the rest of the 2022-2023 season, Wiseman played 24 games, averaging 12.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 25.2 minutes per game. This was a clear improvement in both production and development. The following season, Wiseman played the most games of his career—a whopping 63. For any other player, this would be well below the standard, but given Wiseman’s bad luck so far, there were signs of hope. Maybe the former Memphis big man would finally live up to his No. 2 overall pick expectations. He did not. Wiseman averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game, while the Detroit Pistons won just 14 games.
Over the summer, Wiseman was traded to Indiana. In the first game of this season, he played five minutes, putting up six points and one rebound before suffering a non-contact injury and leaving the game. It was later ruled that James Wiseman had torn his Achilles.
As an NBA fan, I was hopeful for James Wiseman. I believed he had the potential to be the best player in his draft class—a class that included Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. Sadly, Wiseman will likely be remembered by most, if not all, NBA fans as an incredible bust. Years from now, he may be just another “Who the hell is this guy?” name in NBA history. However, I don’t think Wiseman himself is to blame for his disappointing career. A combination of poor development by the Warriors, the dysfunction of the Pistons, and brutally bad luck hindered the career of a very promising basketball player.
Wiseman had the potential to be an incredibly dominant big man. While he still has time, I think it’s very likely that the Pacers will release him, and he will fade away from the NBA. Is James Wiseman a draft bust? Yes, he is. But I won’t blame him for such brutal luck. I saw the flashes of what he could have been—flashes of a player who could have been a superstar. Sadly, I’m letting go of my belief in James Wiseman.
But hey, at least he got a ring.
