James Wiseman’s meniscus tear could have ended his rookie season, and the Warriors can’t bank on his return.
Whether he misses the rest of the regular season or much longer than that, however, depends on the severity of his injury.
According to Nirav Pandya, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at UCSF, a smaller tear will involve four to six weeks of repair. Pandya did not investigate Wiseman’s injury nor did he make an official diagnosis.
A February review of injuries in the NBA and WNBA – co-author of dr. Sachin Allahabadi, a resident of orthopedic surgery at UCSF – cites some studies that found that 80.5 percent of players who suffered torn menisci did not experience any significant change in PER upon their return. Pandya tweeted this Wiseman’s age holds good promise for his recovery from the injury, and he told KRON-TV’s Kylen Mills that the Warriors would be wise to take their time to ensure Wiseman fully recovers.
“I think the most important thing is to just make sure that, although people are going to be impatient that he wants to come back or he wants rehabilitation, the most important thing for his development over the next five to ten years is to get his meniscus right,” Pandya told Mills said.
“So if it means he misses the summer or misses part of training camp because he heals, it will be much more important for his game, rather than a few months extra time during the summer, where he can gain skills. it’s just a meniscus [in each leg], and it’s important for him to get it right. ‘
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Given Wiseman’s importance to the franchise, the Warriors need to root for a full recovery at this point, no matter how long it takes. Until then, Golden State will mix and match options on the middle.
Without Wiseman, the Warriors’ only natural healthy center is Kevon Looney. Coach Steve Kerr told reporters that Draymond Green and Juan Toscano-Anderson would play more minutes on the position if Wiseman had to miss a significant amount of time.
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