James Wiseman was formerly drafted by the Golden State Warriors and now he finds himself in Detroit; a much different setting as opposed to the one he was in with the Warriors where he was tasked by Steve Kerr to focus on being the best screen-setter,shot-blocker, and rebounder possible while leaving all the offensive burden to Steph,Klay,Poole,and Wiggins. Now he finds himself on a Detroit Pistons team who will more than likely draft in the top 5 of the 2023 NBA Draft and as much as I’d like to see Victor Wembanyama on the Pistons, it’s looking more and more likely that he either gets drafted by the Spurs or Rockets this summer. Otherwise why bring over James Wiseman in the first place? Again I’m no fortune teller but I just can’t see Victor in Piston’s white,red, and blue but then again this is the NBA and maybe the Pistons will get compensated for that colossal mistake over 20 years ago when they drafted Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony believing he could end up being their Arvydas Sabonis in Detroit for years to come.
Anyone who watched Wiseman in high-school and somewhat at the college level would’ve noticed from a mile away the Golden State experiment was going to be a dud. As much as Steve Kerr marketed James Wiseman’s potential and how dominant the Warriors could’ve been with him in the rotation; integrating Wiseman into the Warriors system was like trying to get a construction worker to succeed on Wall Street, not going to happen. Or maybe it could but both are two completely different worlds and the people who work in these sectors have completely different skill sets and tasks to perform on a daily basis, much was the case with Wiseman in Golden State. The Warriors have always operated with a low-usage option at the center position, preferable a center who can pass well,rebound,screen,and block shots at the rim; former centers for the Warriors Andrew Bogut and Zaza Pachulia did just that exactly and were integral to the Warriors’s success in the 2010’s. So can a change of scenery with the Detroit Pistons bring the star out of James Wiseman many NBA fans around the world expected? Absolutely.
Does it mean James Wiseman will take a similar path to former Pacer Jermaine O’Neal who struggled to find his way in Portland his first few years in the league and blossomed into a superstar with the Indiana Pacers? And yes I said superstar because when I was growing up watching that 61-21 win team from the 2003-2004 season I couldn’t name more than 5-6 players better than Jermaine that very season; he was lights out the entire season and was every bit the franchise player the Pacers needed as the Reggie Miller era concluded in Indiana. Some feel like there is speculation in regards to who will be starting long-term at center for the Pistons,whether it’s former 13th overall pick Jalen Duren or James Wiseman and to me it’s a no-brainer, you have to go with Wiseman at the 5. Why? Well for as physically developed as Jalen Duren is, he is flawed offensively and lacks the repertoire a James Wiseman possesses. Jalen Duren reminds me of a poor man’s Dwight Howard, I don’t believe that is starting material even if Dwight was once a top 5 maybe even top 3 player at the NBA level ; quite simply because if you took away Dwight’s freakish athleticism in his prime days in Orlando he would’ve been more like a De’Andre Ayton level center which is not too shabby but anyone who watched Dwight in his prime would catch my drift.
The Pistons are a team with a very promising future despite their struggles all of this season and obviously losing Cade Cunningham wasn’t going to make things any better. With further development from shooting guard Jaden Ivey going into his second season next year a healthy Cade Cunningham and newcomer James Wiseman establishing himself in the Piston’s front-court the Pistons could make a run at the playoffs next season; and more than just nabbing a playoff spot they can be a top 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. I still recall a game early on in WIseman’s rookie campaign in which he knocked down an array of shots from posting up and muscling his way through a post-defender and finishing at the rim with that soft left-handed hook which brings back memories of Kevin Garnett a big man who to me had the perfect mechanics and tools as a big, truly in my opinion one of the top 5 bigs my eyes have ever witnessed. Wiseman knocked down several jumpers in that game,some face-up and some catching and shooting; it really had me believing Bob Myers was the new Jerry Krause or Sam Presti.
The Pistons have become a recycling bin over the past few years taking on several top 10 picks all the way from Josh Jackson to Marvin Bagley and Kevin Knox who’s been bounced around like a beach ball over the past few years. James Wiseman is their latest reclamation, a top 3 pick at that who could have the Golden State Warriors regretting they ever moved him over the next decade if he can lock in and get a featured role from head coach Dwane Casey. At the ripe age of 21 I could definitely envision Wiseman becoming a 2-3 time all-star on the Pistons assuming they don’t set their sights on Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft; and then again Victor has been adamant he sees himself more as a 4 at the NBA level so Wiseman and Wembanyama could make for the most dominant front-court in the NBA. Then again this is all wishful thinking as it’s no guarantee the Pistons win the draft lottery to nab Victor. Either way Pistons fans, you got a good one with Wiseman. Announcer John Mason is going to be screaming out James Wiseman’s name a whole lot at Little Caesars Arena going forward, you can book it.
D-NBA 