Which 2020 NBA Rookies have superstar potential?
James Wiseman
Turning the league upside down is a statement that describes many of the new rookies, especially James Wiseman. The No. 2 pick James Wiseman is turning heads in Oakland with his athletic and scoring abilities at 7’0” tall. The seven-footer is currently averaging 12.2 points per game, 6.1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists.
Wiseman was drafted by the Golden State Warriors, a team held down by one of the league’s best in Steph Curry, and since being drafted, he has played like Curry’s special ingredient. Wiseman, as I pointed out in draft coverage, was a smart choice for the Warriors because he is a Center and frontcourt depth is what the Warriors need to compliment the backcourt controlled by Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, and others. Wiseman is looking a lot like a professional basketball big man: shooting open jumpers, dunking on players, passing the ball, and running up and down looking for and making plays. Quite a lot like Shaquille O’Neal, but with much less ferocity at this stage.
James Wiseman’s biggest strength is his offensive talent and his high IQ, which are both on full display when he’s playing with Steph and the Warriors. His biggest flaw has yet to be seen, as Wiseman is one of the rookies who has seen nothing but an uphill to success and he is likely only going to get better from here, so he is in the learning phase if anything. There is one aspect, though, that Wiseman can add to his game and that is defense.
As a big man, he can’t rely just on offense because when he starts getting older and his knees start getting weak, he can’t run the floor like he’s doing now how his coach in Memphis, Penny Hardaway, taught him or even how Hardaway as a point guard was expected to do with his team. It’s a new day in the NBA, and seeing Wiseman run the floor like he isn’t 7’0″ is a sight to see, but he can’t get where he needs to be by watching Penny, a superstar in a totally different category from him and from most.
Adding defense to his game or a rebounding specialty will enlighten him in the area of the bigs, and also further increase his chances of winning Defensive Player of the Year, which is an award in the near future of a superstar like Wiseman. He will want to dig into this bag of big man tricks for ferocity like his mentor’s former teammate, Shaquille O’Neal.
In my article about the rookies fitting into their teams and what it means for the NBA, Wiseman and the Warriors are at the top of that list also, but the big man from Memphis isn’t just a fit for his team, he is more of a superstar. Having been coached by NBA legend Penny Hardaway, Wiseman’s NBA career is off to a brilliant start, and it is likely to continue if nothing is hindering him.
The same can be said for Anthony Edwards, the No. 1 overall pick, who drew comparisons to Dwyane Wade in his pre-draft analysis. Edwards is having a slow start and less than spectacular highlight reel, but he is expected to make his debut on that side of the spectrum alongside Ball and Wiseman soon.