Before making his NBA debut Tuesday night, James Wiseman had not appeared in a real game since Nov. 12, 2019 when his Memphis Tigers lost to the Oregon Ducks.
The No. 2 overall pick in last month's NBA draft responded by registering 19 points (7-for-13 from the field), six rebounds and two steals in 24 minutes. He started at center and his only 3-point attempt was nothing but net.
"I felt a lot of jitters, but as soon as I took my first shot attempt, everything went out the window," he told the media after the the Warriors' 125-99 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. "I think I did really well for not playing in a year.
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"And due to the protocols and stuff, I got to get my conditioning back up. Just trying to build on my development and try to get better every day."
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Wiseman by no means was perfect, as he forced a couple low-percentage shots, committed a charge in transition and had some breakdowns defensively. But that was expected.
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The 19-year-old definitely turned some heads with his performance, and the Warriors have every reason to be extremely excited about his present and future.
"I was very impressed with myself," Wiseman admitted. "I got a lot to learn. As long as I keep playing games and keep getting more experience, I'm gonna get better at it."
As for being a threat from beyond the arc -- does he expect to take those consistently?
"Yes. I feel very confident in my 3-point shot," Wiseman said. "I've been working on it since the pre-draft process. [But] I'm just trying to do whatever coach tells me to do."
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Well, don't expect Steve Kerr to tell the rookie to stop shooting it from deep anytime soon.
"One thing I don't want to is take away James' belief in himself and his confidence," Kerr said. "I got no problem with him pulling up and shooting shots. He's a good shooter.
"I want him to be be aggressive, and feed his confidence. And as he starts to figure things out, then we'll fine tune where his shots will come from."