James Wiseman’s rookie season is over.
The Warriors announced Thursday that the overall draft pick for no. 2 underwent a successful surgery in 2020 to repair his torn meniscus, but that he will miss the rest of the 2020-21 NBA season.
The team expects Wiseman to be ready for the 2021-22 NBA season, but will only give another update on his progress in September.
The operation at the 7-foot center took place Thursday at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles and was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
When Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke to the media 90 minutes before the team’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, he said he had spoken to Wiseman since the operation and that things were ‘going well’ with the rookie.
Wiseman sustained the injury during a dunk attempt against the Houston Rockets last Saturday. Kenyon Martin Jr. blocked the shot and Wiseman ended up uncomfortably on his right leg.
Wiseman finished the season with 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes over 39 games.
The Warriors are hoping a lot for Wiseman and they expected him to be a big part of their success this season and future seasons. But he struggled to fit in the offense and took his bumps in the defense.
With the next update of Wiseman’s status not yet four and a half months or five months, his participation in the NBA’s summer league has been ruled out. This is a huge blow for the 20-year-old. He could have been a valuable experience and representatives in the summer league.
Without the summer league, Wiseman is likely to be the next time the Warriors’ training camp begins, which usually begins in early October.
As for the Warriors, without Wiseman, they are very thin at center. Kevon Looney is the only true center on the rankings, with Draymond Green also able to handle heavy minutes on the post.
The Warriors are more than capable of winning games with a small ball lineup, but they may not be able to play a seven-game playoff series against teams with All-Star centers like the Los Angeles Lakers (Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond ) does not win. the Utah Jazz (Rudy Gobert) or the Denver Nuggets (Nikola Jokic).
RELATED: Wiseman deals with a ‘stupid’ idea, believes Richard Jefferson
Prior to the Warriors’ announcement about Wiseman, Kerr was asked by Monte Poole of the NBC Sports Bay Area if it was urgently needed to sign a center.
“Well, it always depends on who you’re talking about,” Kerr said. “Adding size just to add size does not yield anything, but if you can add a good player who can help you win a game, then it’s important. I know our front office has all the investigate possible investigations. options out there. ‘
For now, the Warriors will have to run together without Wiseman and play the next 17 games (and possible playoffs).
Download and subscribe to the Dubs Talk Podcast