In November, the Golden State Warriors selected James Wiseman out of Memphis with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The 7-foot tall center was slated to join his new teammates on the floor for the first time at Golden State’s preseason training camp.
However, Wiseman and Draymond Green reportedly tested positive for COVID 19, sidelining the frontcourt duo for the start of practice at Chase Center.
After missing the start of group practices and Golden State’s first preseason game against the Denver Nuggets, Wiseman and Green made their return to the court on Monday.
It didn’t take long for the two to link up at practice. The Golden State Warriors Twitter account shared a video of the 19-year-old rookie catching an alley-oop from his three-time All-Star teammate. Wiseman finished the lob with a two-handed dunk.
Via @warriors on Twitter:
A DRAYMOND LOB
TO A WISEMAN DUNK pic.twitter.com/Fe3MaO4gst— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 14, 2020
After missing the start of camp, and only playing in three games during his college run at Memphis, every minute of practice time will be crucial for Wiseman’s development. The former McDonald’s All-American will only have a short stint at training camp to build chemistry with Green, Stephen Curry, Kelly Oubre Jr., Andrew Wiggins and the rest of his new teammates.
With Green’s playmaking and Curry’s floor spacing, there’s a chance Wiseman sees a steady amount of lob opportunities when running the floor in Steve Kerr’s offense.
Although Wiseman and Green have returned to practice, the tandem will be on the sideline for Golden State’s second preseason contest against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday.
Without Wiseman and Green against the Nuggets, Kevon Looney and Eric Paschall were included in the starting lineup.
