Inside James Wiseman’s first Warriors practice: ‘A perfect snapshot of what might be coming’
James Wiseman and Draymond Green participated in their first Warriors practice of the season Monday.
In their first practice of the 2020-21 season, Draymond Green carefully talked rookie James Wiseman through where he needed to be because, to get the ball and create the highlight of Monday’s Warriors practice, they first needed to get a stop.
This was the two-team drill drawn up by head coach Steve Kerr. If the defense got a stop, that team was awarded one offensive possession. Green and Wiseman’s team got the stop. With the ball, Green raced down the floor as Wiseman ran the full-length of the court like a sprinter in a 100-meter dash. With his right hand, Green floated a lob and, as it sailed above the outstretched arm of Kent Bazemore, Wiseman rose, caught the ball with both hands and threw down a thunderous dunk.
“It was a perfect snapshot of what we hope to see, what Warriors fans hope to see and what might be coming,” Kerr said.
For two weeks, Green and Wiseman were inactive after testing positive for the coronavirus prior to training camp. It’s a happy accident that they began practicing at the same time, and a strange start to what might be the Warriors’ most important partnership for now and the future.
Though both are ruled out for Tuesday’s preseason game in Sacramento, they could return as soon as Thursday for the preseason finale against the Kings, according to Kerr. Their participation in practice, however, will help a team that needs to coalesce quickly in order to make a playoff push.
“It’s so great to have those guys back out on the floor,” Kerr said, adding Green “Made his presence felt immediately with advice in the film section and on the floor, and a whole lot of trash talking, too. So the energy level today skyrocketed.”
“Then with James,” he said, “it’s just so exciting to see the potential that’s there.”
A DRAYMOND LOB
TO A WISEMAN DUNK pic.twitter.com/Fe3MaO4gst— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 14, 2020
Wiseman, the No. 2 pick in November’s draft, impressed teammates and coaches in his first practice with his athleticism, size and effort on both ends of the court.
During offensive drills, Wiseman set strong screens that consistently sprung open 3-point shots — including one for Steph Curry that Wiseman described as “dope.” Kerr lauded Wiseman for his natural feel playing in the pick-and-roll, which should help him contribute when eventually he does play.
“He seems to be picking up the plays pretty quickly,” Kerr said. “I’m excited about seeing him get more work under his belt so he can make bigger strides, but today was a really good stride.”
But the Warriors expect a steep learning curve for Wiseman who, at 19, has not played in a true basketball game since November of last year, and won’t until he completes a full scrimmage. Unless the Warriors scrimmage between their last two preseason games, it’s more likely Wiseman makes his debut at some point in the regular season.
Although Wiseman’s energy during practice was appreciated, Green said he was often out of position on defense, but made up for it with his speed and 7-foot-6 wingspan. “He can cover a lot of ground around the basket,” he said.
Meanwhile, a noticeably slimmer Green said he’s spent the last few months working on his strength and mobility, but does not know how much weight he’s lost and appreciated having more than nine months off between games.
“I feel rejuvenated, motivated,” Green said. “I’m really excited to get out there and just compete again.”
Having Green — who played in only 43 games last season because of various injuries and averaged the fewest minutes per game since his third NBA season — in peak shape will be key as the Warriors aim to return to the playoffs after stumbling to the league’s worst record and fifth-worst defense last season.
Green watched the Warriors’ first preseason game on TV and took note of the team’s potential on defense. Though young players such as Eric Paschall, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins impressed, there were several things that could have been cleaned up by Green’s presence on the court and in practice leading up to the game.
Stephen Curry, who missed most of last season recovering from a broken hand, will power the offense. On defense, Green and Wiseman highlight a backline for a team that aspires to rank among the top 10 in defensive rating this season.
Doing so will require Wiseman to make an immediate impact. The Warriors in their preseason opening win against the Nuggets gave up 58 points in the paint. With only Kevon Looney and Marquese Chriss — reliable but undersized big men — the Warriors did not have someone big enough to guard against Nikola Jokic’s bruising post-ups or the athleticism in the middle of the floor to make up for missed perimeter rotations.
Putting too much responsibility on Wiseman too early would be irresponsible, and the Warriors plan to bring him along slowly. When Wiseman eventually does play, they will pair him with Green for several minutes per game so he can learn from the team’s best defender and begin to form this crucial partnership.
“James was all over the place today,” Green said. “Energy was through the roof, which took him out of position at times, which I love to see because you can teach positioning but you can’t teach high energy.”
Several teammates and coaches commented on Wiseman’s enthusiasm Monday. When he found out two days ago that he’d be making his practice debut, Wiseman became so anxious that he needed to tell himself to calm down and use the energy on the court.
That energy may have overflowed into a few mistakes here and there, but it also led to the alley-oop highlight of the day. It’s been a while since Wiseman has played in a game, but setting screens, running the floor and dunking are familiar enough to help quell the nerves.
“As soon as I got that first bucket,” Wiseman said, “I was like, ‘I’m in the game now.’”
A look at some of James Wiseman's work in the Warriors' defense-to-offense drills in practice today. pic.twitter.com/1nArUsFL1f
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) December 15, 2020