4 X-factors that can elevate an NBA title contender to a championship

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James Wiseman (Photo by Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images) /

NBA: James Wiseman-Golden State Warriors

Few defending champions have had a player of James Wisemans‘ pedigree waiting in the wings. Fortunately, the Golden State Warriors do, and he could be crucial to their chances of repeating. Wiseman was selected second overall in 2020 but largely struggled during his rookie year before being ruled out for the remainder of the season. He then missed all of last season with a foot injury.

With less than 40 games to his resume in two seasons, Wiseman is definitely behind the curve, but his talent level is still off the charts. He played well in the NBA Summer League and has shown flashes during the preseason but will have to show more to make an impact on this Warriors team. He’ll get the opportunity too, and if he pans out, the Warriors could be adding an elite prospect back into their championship-winning rotation.

That’s virtually unprecedented and allows the team to simultaneously focus on winning and also on the future. As for what Wiseman brings to the table, he’s massive, and that size can translate on both ends of the floor. Standing at 7’0 with a 7’6 wingspan, Wiseman has shown flashes of being an impactful rim-protector and could be elite if he masters verticality. That size could also allow him to dominate on the glass, particularly the offensive glass, foraging for extra possession.

He won’t be asked to score, and that could help him fit in and play a defined role while slowly growing his game. That said, there have been some encouraging offensive plays: knocking down an open jumper, scoring on a mismatch in the post, crashing the offensive glass and getting gimmies at the rim, and being a big lob threat.

Wiseman might not look polished offensively, but he’ll have his fair share of 8-12 shooting games that might convince people otherwise. If he can be a highly efficient scorer, crash the glass and serve as a rim protector, he’ll give the Warriors a spark this season, and hopefully a full jolt going forward.