NBA Draft: Grading every first-round pick after rookie year

NBA Draft: Grading every first-round pick after rookie year: 2. James Wiseman

Stats:

• 11.5 points
• 5.8 rebounds
• 0.9 blocks

For all the hype that was surrounding James Wiseman, he really didn’t have an impressive season. With that said, it wasn’t exactly his fault.

Despite being the second overall pick, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr refused to play him many minutes. On the year, he averaged only 21.4 minutes per game. That, in turn, resulted in him averaging just 11.5 points per game. Not terrible for a player in his first year but not ideal considering where he was taken in the draft.

Although per 36 minutes doesn’t always provide the clearest of pictures, it does give somewhat of a glimpse into a player’s potential. With 19.3 points and 9.7 rebounds according to Wiseman’s per 36, it’s clear that he could have performed much better if given more opportunities.

For whatever reason, Kerr appeared more interested in pushing out lineups who were allergic to scoring instead of helping his high draft pick grow. It also didn’t help that the injury bug hit him on multiple occasions. He missed a chunk of the season due to a wrist injury and followed that up by missing the entire back half of the year with a torn meniscus.

Year two should ultimately come with better numbers and much better play but for now, we have no choice but to grade him harshly.

Grade: C-