After scoring 19 and 18 points in his first two games as a professional, James Wiseman was quiet against the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons. Before fouling out of the game in the fourth quarter for the first time in his career, the 2020 No. 2 overall pick in the NBA draft tallied six points on 3-of-9 shooting with six boards, two blocks and one assist in 22 minutes.
Wiseman’s performance against the Pistons was the first time in his young career he didn’t bury a single 3-pointer. The Memphis product missed two attempts from beyond the arc in Detroit.
However, Wiseman’s work against the Pistons will be remembered for one specific sequence in the fourth quarter.
With 6:29 remaining in the game, Wiseman rejected a shot from Mason Plumlee. The rookie proceeded to corral the block and drive the ball coast to coast for an emphatic one-handed dunk. During his gliding break to the basket, Wiseman displayed smooth handles in transition and a crafty euro-step finish.
When talking about Wiseman’s impressive drive to the bucket after Golden State’s 116-106 victory in Detroit, Steve Kerr referenced the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player.
I also thought James had a really good stretch in the fourth where his size and presence in the paint. For the first time really in the four games, it looked like he sort of knew where his job was — to protect the rim, not foul, use his size and his athleticism. He made a couple of big plays where we got stops and scores at the other end. And, of course, his ‘Giannis play’ was pretty impressive, too, in transition.
Listen to Kerr’s full postgame press conference via Warriors SoundCloud.
Watch Wiseman’s “Giannis play” via @warriors on Twitter:
JAMES. WISEMAN. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/GZ3kLsE8pc
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 30, 2020
7-footer with a Eurostep? That's nice.@BigTicket_JW || #DubNation pic.twitter.com/IYL2kfxtJc
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 30, 2020
Through his first four games in the NBA, Wiseman is averaging 12.5 points on 43.9% shooting from the field with 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 23.5 minutes per contest.
On Friday, Wiseman is slated to make his Bay Area debut at San Francisco’s Chase Center against the Portland Trail Blazers.
