SAN FRANCISCO -- James Wiseman, with nine minutes remaining and the Warriors up by 41 points, entered Monday night's 132-95 throttling of the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center to loud cheers from the home crowd. That might be the last time Warriors fans see him in a Golden State uniform for quite some time.
Steve Kerr announced after his team's 37-point victory that the former No. 2 overall draft pick will join the Warriors' G League affiliate in Santa Cruz starting on Tuesday, instead of joining the Warriors for their upcoming game against the Suns in Phoenix. Wiseman also won't be making a quick pit stop. He's going to be with the Sea Dubs for an "extended period of time," which should be a win-win for both parties.
"It's not going to be one game and bring him back," Kerr said. "We want to give him 10 straight days, something like that, and then come back."
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Wiseman will have time to get accustomed to his new teammates before likely playing in a handful of games. Santa Cruz's next game falls on Saturday against the South Bay Lakers before two straight road games against the Salt Lake City Stars this next Monday and Tuesday. Nov. 25 is an intriguing date to know.
Golden State and Santa Cruz both will be suiting up for games of their own. Wiseman either will be going against the G League Ignite at Kaiser Permanente Arena or the Utah Jazz at Chase Center. By then, the Warriors will have played six games since Monday night's win over the Spurs.
Before Wiseman met with the media in the Warriors' locker room, he and Jordan Poole had a lengthy discussion that exceeded five minutes. Poole had just finished praising the 21-year-old big man at the podium and expressed his unwavering confidence in his teammate. With his hand on Wiseman's shoulder, that same belief was being transferred to his brother.
"It's just basketball," Wiseman said. "I'm just ready to go down there and hoop."
Golden State Warriors
Wiseman first found out about the franchise's decision a day ago, the same day that he wasn't given any run in the Warriors' loss to the Sacramento Kings. More than anything, it was clear that Wiseman is excited to get minutes on a consistent basis. He didn't call the decision a demotion, and expressed his mindset of playing free, having fun and hooping.
As far as finding himself back in the Warriors' rotation later this season, Wiseman kept it coy. He can give the coaching staff and front office more confidence with his play in the G League. That decision ultimately isn't up to him, though.
"Yeah, we'll see," Wiseman said.
Poole has been the Warriors' biggest success story coming from the G League. After an 11-game stint in the G League bubble during the 2020-21 season, he came back to the NBA a much different player, giving everybody glimpses of what he could turn into.
Well, what he turned into was a rising star, one who played a vital role in the Warriors beating the odds to win a championship a season ago and one who earned a four-year contract extension over the offseason worth up to $140 million. He also had much more experience in college and the NBA before shining with Santa Cruz compared to Wiseman.
Inside the Warriors' building, everyone is preaching belief in Wiseman. That's coming from players and coaches alike. Outside the building, players aren't fools. They know what's said, they know what's tweeted, they know what's written.
"The outside noise is what will make it tough," Poole said. "It's everybody's opinion, everybody has something to say. Honestly, nobody cares what they think. James is just going to have to be laser-focused. I think that we know that he is more than anything.
"He's a special talent, he's gifted, he's talented, he has all the right tools to be successful. I'm going to tell him to go down there and shoot 50 shots, be aggressive, get techs, hang on the rim, do it all. Just so he can understand what he wants to be at the highest level, and this is just a step in the right direction. Everybody in the locker room is encouraging him and has his back whenever he asks questions.
"He'll be good."
Some of that might sound like an exaggeration. A lot of it isn't. Wiseman has to play. He needs game reps, and he isn't going to get them right now with the Warriors.
Before the Warriors lost to the Kings in Sacramento on Sunday night, Kerr admitted that keeping young players like Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody in and out of the rotation isn't fair. Players at 21 and 20 years old need to make mistakes.
With Santa Cruz, Wiseman can do exactly that and learn on the fly. Not with the big club.
Wiseman now has played only 50 games in the NBA. He's averaging only 13.4 minutes per game. The problem is, his basketball life has been stop and go for so long now. There hasn't been an ounce of steadiness or stability, something that mentally and physically can take a toll on anybody -- no matter how old or young a person is. '
Coming into the NBA, Wiseman played three games in college and had a gap that lasted over 25 months between his final college game at Memphis and his first game with the Warriors. His rookie season was cut short to a knee injury, but it also saw him battle other injuries as well as a bout with COVID-19. Wiseman then missed all of last season, aside from three G League games before swelling in his surgically-repaired knee once again shut him down. He didn't even get to have his first training camp until his third year as a pro.
Since his college debut on Nov. 5, 2019, Wiseman has played 64 games of basketball -- three in college, three in the G League, four in summer league, four preseason games and 50 regular-season games. Over a three-year span, he has played in 18 fewer games than a complete NBA regular-season slate.
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Every inch of his 7-foot-1 frame was smiling this offseason at the mere thought of playing basketball again. Wiseman needs that same joy, just as much as the Warriors need him to get up and down the floor. Patience is a tough pill to swallow.
Debate at your own will. This wasn't an easy decision to make, and it wasn't an easy reality for Wiseman to handle. He took it head-on, and it's the right move for both parties for the time being.