James Wiseman is back for the Warriors and he finishes with 11 points and a couple of blocks. There is a time and a place for it.
As Jonathan Kuminga started to attack the hoop, he hooked the ball over his head to find James Wiseman. He caught the ball in midair and threw a dunk.
It was the first possession of the Warriors' summer league game against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday and was the first bucket of the season for Wiseman.
He knocked down his only 3-pointer of the night after his alley-oops.
He said it felt good. My timing was off and there are a lot of things for me to work on. This was the first time I played. I had a good time.
Before his stint in the G League, he hadn't played in over a year because of a knee injury.
In his summer league debut, he played four four-minute spurts at the start of each quarter to help his team beat the Spurs. He checked back in for the last three minutes of the game. He finished with 11 points on 6-of-7 shooting and 2 blocks.
Setting screens and reading patterns were areas where he was off.
The Warriors summer league coach said that he looked like a really good basketball player when he came out and played in the game. He was told to come out, have fun, and let the game come to him.
Throughout the night, there was a glimpse of his athletic ability with his dunk and blocks. He wasn't afraid of playing physical.
It was aggressive. That's a big change. I have been doing a lot of individual workouts since I left. I'm proud to be out there because I want to get that pushing.
The Warriors have lacked real size and presence in the paint during summer league. Golden State could use more of that.
The Warriors would like him to use his size more on the boards. As soon as the game was over, Wiseman walked over to the coach and told him that he needed to grab more than just two rebound, like he did against the Spurs.
Staying alert, aggressive and just going to get it is what it's all about. I was trying to get as much as I could, even though the ball wasn't coming my way.
Through training camp, the Warriors are focusing on the basics. Those will be a big part of his role with Golden State.
The Warriors can begin to plan out how they want to use the 7-foot center after seeing Wiseman play.
We don't know what we have until he plays. You don't know what you are doing. I hope by the first week of August we have a clear plan of what he needs to work on.
Some of that will be learned by the end of summer league if Wiseman plays a lot.
The plan is to have Kuminga and Moody in the game against the Celtics. The Warriors try to do a light practice after a heavy day.
It's not clear how much more Wiseman will play after that. The most important thing for Golden State right now is having one game under their belts.
"After the game, walking into the locker room, all the players cheering for him, I think he can kind of breathe again," he said. I am so proud of you but now the real work begins, that's what I say every time I talk to him.
"Good, Coach," said the man.
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