The writing was on the wall when the Warriors’ second-year center James Wiseman suffered a setback during a rehab stint in the G-League.
The Warriors made it official Friday afternoon: Wiseman is out for the remainder of this regular season and the playoffs as he recovers from a torn meniscus.
James Wiseman, who has missed the first 73 games of the 2021-22 season after undergoing surgery to repair a meniscal tear in his right knee, will be sidelined for the remainder of the season, including the 2022 NBA Playoffs. pic.twitter.com/ebv6ILitHy
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 25, 2022
“We’ve maintained throughout his entire rehabilitation process that we’re going to be patient and look out for James’ best interests in what we anticipate to be a long and successful career,” Warriors’ president and general manager Bob Myers issued a statement. “As a 20-year-old, his entire career is ahead of him. For us, as an organization, our focus is on James’ long-term health and we’re confident — and our doctors are confident — that this long-term approach will help James become the player we believe he will evolve into when he returns to the court.”
"We’re just protecting James’ future"
Kerr spoke on the Warriors' decision to shut down Wiseman for the rest of the season: pic.twitter.com/2HosHrgYZD
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 25, 2022
In the short term, the Warriors will be fine at center as they gear up for the playoffs. Golden State has gotten quality play from Kevon Looney — a bounce-back season for him in a contract year — scoring 6.4 points and grabbing 7.6 rebounds a game, plus playing solid defense. Draymond Green will get significant minutes at center as well in the postseason.
With Looney’s free agency looming, the Warriors need to think long-term with Wiseman. He could be asked to take a big step forward next season, which is a lot to ask for a young, raw athlete who just missed a year of development. But as Myers noted, Wiseman is young and needs to be given time.
Now he has a whole offseason to work out and get right.
