Not so long ago, James Wiseman was the undisputed no. 1 NBA prospect in the nation.
His combination of size, length, footwork, and fundamentals made him a can't-miss kind of talent NBA teams were keeping an eye on since high school.
Unfortunately, a suspension cut his lone season at Memphis short and he wasn't able to get through his first season with the Golden State Warriors without getting hurt, which is why some analysts now doubt he'll ever reach a high ceiling.
To make things even worst, it seems like the former second-overall pick will have to wait a little longer to silence his critics, as he has yet to be cleared for contact work:
"Warriors still have no timetable on when James Wiseman will get cleared for contact work," reported Connor Letourneau of NBC Sports.
Wiseman will likely have to get a stint in the G-League after getting clearance before even thinking of cracking Steve Kerr's rotation at any point in the season.
After the loss of her father and a less than shiny 2020-21 season, Mikaela Shiffrin is gearing up for a six-event Olympics this year.
Apparently, Wiseman suffered a setback in his rehab, as he was pretty close to getting back on the court before entering the league's health and safety protocols.
Nonetheless, the Dubs have kept a tight mouth when it comes to the status of his injury:
"Well, he was getting close, and then COVID happens, and he's right there to start doing some live stuff whether it's the end of this week or next week," Warriors GM Bob Myers said on The Morning Roast.
Wiseman isn't a lock to crack the rotation even when healthy, and some fear we may not even see him on the court this year at all:
"That's really been the last thing, and then once you're there, it becomes, how do we get game reps and real scrimmaging? Whether we get that in the Bay, in the city, with the team, which is kind of hard to do, or, do we get it in Santa Cruz? So James is going to have to go through that part," Myers added.
But not everything's bad for the youngster. Recently, he got his no. 32 jersey retired by East High School, his Alma Mater in Memphis, Tennessee:
“I was manifesting this when I was a younger kid. Just being able to be here in this moment, it’s crazy,” Wiseman said, as quoted by Mercury News“It means a lot just being here.”
Wiseman is just 20 years old and still has plenty of chance to prove his worth. Hopefully, he'll be cleared soon to earn the opportunity to prove why he was once considered the best big man prospect in years.
