Kerr, Warriors encouraged by strides Wiseman is making originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
One of the few positive takeaways from the Warriors’ lopsided 143-113 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday at Barclays Center was the 30-point performance from James Wiseman.
Despite the outcome, it was a confidence builder for the 21-year-old, who the Warriors recalled on Dec. 15 after 10 games in the NBA G League, where Wiseman averaged 18.8 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while shooting 68 percent from the field.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke with 95.7 The Game’s “Damon & Ratto” on Thursday, and noted that he sees plenty of positive signs from Wiseman after his performance against the Nets.
“I think the big thing is we’re just looking at James’ development, and we felt like watching him in Santa Cruz, seeing him grow, seeing his defensive progress, we feel like he’s made strides,” Kerr said. “And so it’s great for him to get some significant minutes and be able to let loose and gain some confidence. With a third 30-point night, we know he’s perfectly capable of scoring.
“So we know he’s got that capability. But just because of the way the year has gone for him not getting much playing time, I thought it was a great [game against Brooklyn] for him to really feel good about his progress. And this is just another step in the journey for James.”
While the offensive production in Brooklyn stood and is a performance Wiseman can build off, Kerr also stated that he saw the Warriors’ big man make strides on the defensive side of the ball that he noticed during the recent road trip.
“I think we saw evidence periodically during the trip,” Kerr said. “I thought his defensive minutes against Philadelphia [76ers] were really good. I know he only played seven, eight minutes, but he did a great job of kind of playing cat and mouse against pick and roll, which is what you want your big to do.
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“It’s what Draymond [Green] does so well, meaning, you know, you’re you have to guard the ball handler coming downhill at you and the roll man who’s coming towards the rim, and you got to keep the ball handler guessing. And he did a really good job of that, being in the right position and making sure he was calling out the right coverages. So there have been strides, for sure.”
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Wiseman will look to continue making an impression on Kerr as he makes his case to remain with Golden State and not head back to the G League when the Warriors face the Memphis Grizzlies on Christmas Day at Chase Center.
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