SAN FRANCISCO — Just as it seemed James Wiseman was getting close to making his season debut with the Warriors, the rug was pulled out from underneath the 7-foot center yet again.
Wiseman’s return to the Warriors has been delayed for the second time this season due to swelling in his right knee.
Coach Steve Kerr said he learned of the swelling Friday. And after discussing the situation with the coaching and training staffs, the Warriors decided to put a “pause” on Wiseman’s rehab process. He won’t play for the Santa Cruz Warriors Sunday as previously planned.
“I feel terrible for James,” Kerr said Saturday after practice. “The hope was that he would play tomorrow in Santa Cruz – that’s not going to happen. I will just keep going back to the fact that he’s 20 years old, and he’s got his whole future ahead. We just have to be really, really cautious. We’ve got to do what’s best for him long term.”
The training staff has not had any conversations about shutting Wiseman down for the season, according to Kerr. But with only 12 games remaining in the regular season, Wiseman making his season debut with the Warriors is in serious doubt.
“That’s all up to the training staff and the doctors,” Kerr said. “The main thing is we can’t make a decision based on the schedule, we can’t make a decision based on the playoffs. Every decision should be made around James’ career, James’ future. So we will make our training staff will make the decision in terms of what James does, how much he does, when he can be on the floor, those questions will all be based on his long-term health.”
The news came somewhat as a surprise since Wiseman had appeared to have been making progress in his recovery. One day earlier, Kerr had said Wiseman “has been great.” The Warriors recalled Wiseman Wednesday after he played three games with the Santa Cruz Warriors in what was believed to be the final step in his rehab from last April’s torn meniscus and subsequent surgery.
But the swelling kept Wiseman out practice Friday and Saturday. And now it’s unlikely he’ll join the Warriors on their upcoming five-game road trip on the East Coast.
“We’re literally just taking everything day-by-day, avoiding any long-term projections,” Kerr said. “And so I can’t tell you what’s going to happen in a week.”
This is the latest setback in what has been a frustrating 11-month recovery for the second overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft.
Wiseman played only 39 games last season — averaging 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds — before he underwent season-ending surgery in April to repair a torn right meniscus. After months of rehabbing, it appeared Wiseman was progressing to make a return this winter. But when swelling flared up in his surgically-repaired knee, the 20-year-old had to have a second arthroscopic knee surgery.
“He’s understandably disappointed,” Kerr said. “What he’s been through the last year, it’s unfair. He deserves better. He’s just such a great young man, works so hard. He cares about his career, he cares about the game, he cares about his teammates and wants to be out there. And again, we just have to make really smart decisions with his future in mind and we’re not gonna do anything that would compromise that.”
What the Warriors have in Wiseman remains a mystery. He’s played in only 45 games over the last three seasons with Memphis, the Warriors and the team’s G League affiliate. And he had mixed performances in his most recent games with the Santa Cruz Warriors. It’s still unclear when he returns how he’ll adjust to the speed and physicality of the NBA.
For now, the Warriors will have to continue to play the waiting game with Wiseman.
“We’ll take a pause and we’ll see how the knee responds and we’ll go from there,” Kerr said.
