Golden State Warriors rookie center James Wiseman lived up to the hype in his NBA debut Tuesday night.
The No. 2 overall pick out of Memphis scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds in 24 minutes during Golden State’s otherwise forgettable 125-99 loss to the Brooklyn Nets in New York.
The big man’s talent drew strong reviews from his teammates and coaches.
“He played really well,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He looked great out there. I would have preferred a game where we actually were in the game and playing at a competitive level, but obviously we got crushed tonight. But James showed exactly why we’re very excited about him. He’s a really talented guy and he’s smart and hardworking and he wants to do well and fit in with his teammates, so he’s got a bright future.”
Wiseman threw down a dunk to earn his first NBA points just 51 seconds into his debut. His agility and length continued to impress his new team. And he played with a confidence rare for rookies, a trait made even more impressive by the fact that at 19, he became the youngest player to make an opening night start for the Warriors since 1970.
“I wasn’t shocked to see that,” Warriors star guard Stephen Curry said. “He showed that in practice and in our scrimmages. Very confident in what he can do, so it was good to see him just get his feet wet, get some reps in, and obviously in the fourth quarter he showed a little bit of his skill set, what he can do inside and out, so just getting him hopefully as comfortable as possible as quickly as possible. Twenty-four good minutes to start his career is a big step for him individually.”
Wiseman played just three games at Memphis before leaving because of an eligibility issue with the NCAA. His last college game came Nov. 12, 2019, in a loss to Oregon.
Wiseman then missed most of the Warriors’ training camp and all their preseason games while following league COVID-19 protocols.
“I think I did really well for not playing [in] a year,” Wiseman said. “And due to the protocols and stuff I just got to get my conditioning back up. But in terms of everything else, my first game and not playing in a whole year I feel like I did well, but I feel like I should have been more aggressive on the boards. But we lost, so it doesn’t matter.”
Like Curry, Kerr didn’t seem surprised by Wiseman’s ability to impact the game at such a young age. As much as Kerr and Warriors general manager Bob Myers tried to soften expectations for the young big man, they saw the same talent that Curry and veteran forward Draymond Green realized so quickly.
“He went out and got 19 points in his first NBA game in 24 minutes,” Kerr said. “He is so raw, so there’s so far to go, in terms of calling out defensive coverages. The game’s slowing down for him … and that’s what’s so exciting. He’s a really smart young man. He’s got a tremendous work ethic and he hasn’t even scratched the surface so that’s what I think is really exciting and to think about where he’ll be a few months from now — and beyond that a couple years from now — he’s got a chance to be a great player in this league so it’s very exciting.”
WIseman admitted feeling some early jitters, but really started to find a rhythm in the fourth quarter with the game already out of hand.
After years of watching former Warriors star and current Nets forward Kevin Durant, he said the opportunity to face the former MVP in a real game was exciting.
“It was great going up against KD,” Wiseman said. “Me and KD actually communicated in high school. He gave me a lot of advice in terms of my game. So just playing against him was different, actually seeing him out on the floor.
“And for me playing like in a long time and me actually going out there and did what I did, I was very impressed. I was very impressed of myself. But in terms of playing [against] KD and DeAndre Jordan that was a different experience, but it made me way more aggressive and tough. Like, you can’t do that soft stuff in the league.”