Steve Kerr won’t rush James Wiseman: ‘Every player needs a foundation’

The Golden State Warriors leveraged the 2020 NBA draft runner-up overall for Memphis product James Wiseman, and so far it’s still making its way into the rotation.

Wiseman wasn’t the determining factor in the aging Dubs lineup like head coach Steve Kerr would have hoped. As Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green neared the end of their prime, Kerr’s response was to send Wiseman to the G League for “more replays” in the G-League.

“Every player needs a foundation,” Kerr said, per NBC Sports of how Wiseman is realizing his true potential. “But when you’ve got a guy who’s been missing the whole time because of circumstances and hasn’t been able to really build that foundation, you have to try to do the right thing to help him get off the ground. We think so.”

The Warriors have put their young talent into situations where they need to prove themselves individually and the Wiseman project are still on the same boat after a two-year absence.

Kerr suggests that a defense’s attention to lottery pick will help expose Wiseman to a lighter offensive playstyle.

“I think it’s just all part of the natural progression of a young player who doesn’t have a lot of experience, who came into the league by accident at the start of the pandemic and then missed a year and a half with an injury. That’s it; this is the bottom line.

“Exercise is the big thing,” Kerr said. “When you get individual attention, like the guys in the G League do, I think it’s easier to make more progress than the stops and starts that happen during the NBA season when you’re not on the rotation .”

It’s inevitable that the Warriors will progress from their Big Three, which gave them four championships. Good franchises, however, look to the future to sustain the title fight moves. Kerr and Golden State make the right adjustments to make Wiseman the dominant presence he was once projected to be.