Overreacting to draft decisions too quickly can be futile. Warriors general manager Bob Myers knows how important patience can be, both in the sense of perceiving young players and waiting for their development. The current Golden State roster is a relevant test case for that.
Forward James Wiseman specifically is one player whom fans may need to be patient with. The Warriors selected the 20-year-old out of Memphis with the No. 2 overall pick, one slot ahead of Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball. And though Wiseman has had little on-court experience since high school, the Warriors are still confident he can be great.
“I think James is going to have a great career,” Myers said Friday on the Ryen Russillo Podcast. “I think he’s a great fit for us. He needs to be healthy, he needs to play, but I think he’s just beginning his career. A heck of a career and a long career. We’re excited for when he gets back.”
The 7-foot-1 Wiseman played just three games at Memphis due to an NCAA suspension from recruiting violations. He played 39 games for the Warriors as a rookie, but his season got cut short due to a torn meniscus that required surgery. Myers said Wiseman is close to being cleared for scrimmaging, an important step in the process for him returning to NBA action.
There’s no singular way to building a championship roster, but Myers believes in the value of young players who can grow within the organization. With Golden State’s current team, that list of players includes Wiseman as well as rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.
“History has proven young guys win can help win championships,” Myers said. “It happens and it will continue to happen.”
But like many of GSW’s young players, Wiseman won’t have the same opportunities as some other young players across the league. That’s just a product of how good the Warriors are. A limited role can also make evaluating them compared to their peers difficult.
“When I say I believe in (Wiseman) and think he can do all these things, people think I’m being defensive or just promoting our guy,” Myers said. “But he, just like Kuminga and Moody, aren’t getting to just go out this year and run around. Their minutes are limited. They’re on one of the better teams in the league right now. So they don’t get that leash or ability to make mistakes that a lot of young rookies get.”
The Warriors’ front office makes draft decisions in a highly “debate oriented” manner, Myers said. The Warriors viewed Wiseman as a better prospect coming out of the Draft than Ball, who has already played at an All-Star level. Comparing the two — as well as the rest of the 2020 Draft class — may only be a useful exercise in the coming years as opposed to right now.
Myers knows personally how some players’ developments aren’t always linear. As an agent, Myers represented Jermaine O’Neal. O’Neal was blocked by veterans in Portland’s front court for four years after entering the league. He only showed his ability after being traded to Indiana, where he was named to six straight All-Star teams.
Wiseman isn’t necessarily a direct comparison to O’Neal — a bigger role won’t necessarily come via trade — but their delayed impact based on roster fit may be similar.
“I don’t know what James is going to be,” Myers said. “But I do know he hasn’t had a chance to do anything yet. Or show anything yet. Three games at Memphis. Last year, we didn’t know what we had. And I don’t think, even Steve would admit, we just kind of threw James out there. That’s hard for a big guy to do. We were posting him up on Ayton, we probably wouldn’t do that anymore. I think we were just trying to see what he was. So now it’s about putting him in a narrower lane and letting him grow from outside of that. I think last year was like the opposite. You saw his first game against Brooklyn. After that game, everybody was saying this guy’s going to be the best player ever. It reminds you of how fast things move in this league. ‘This guy’s great, now he’s not.’ You see it happen every year. I’m extremely excited about him. Love the kid, love the work. Hopefully he’s back here at some point soon…and we need him. We need his talent, his skill set. But I’ve learned in this business, patience is important.”
With Russillo, Myers also detailed why Klay Thompson’s return will be one of the greatest ovations ever, his reaction to Stephen Curry breaking the all-time 3-point record, and more information on the front office’s philosophies on roster construction. You can listen to the full, wide-ranging interview with Myers on the Ryen Russillo Podcast.