2020 NBA Draft: Top 1st round options for Golden State Warriors

NBA Draft option for Golden State Warriors – James Wiseman, C/PF, Memphis

I believe this is perhaps the cleanest fit in the 2020 NBA Draft. At this stage of his career, James Wiseman is all raw athleticism and power but still has a legit claim to being the best center in the 2020 NBA Draft class.

Wiseman has shown the potential to be a shooter but at this stage, his jumper is purely speculative and his offense isn’t likely to be high usage in any case. What he would be expected to do with the Warriors is set picks for Steph Curry and absolutely smash alley-oops off of the attention that the two-time MVP would draw. Wiseman is so raw that in the first few years, the majority of his scoring plays will be baskets 10-feet and in. He will need a head coach who works up plays that get him moving towards the basket to take advantage of his straight-line speed and finishing ability, and that is precisely what Steve Kerr would do.

Wiseman’s statistics from his brief time with Memphis won’t mean much in the grand scheme of things because of the low level of competition under Penny Hardaway but his official physical measurements will have the attention of every organization in the NBA. He has been listed at 7-foot-1, 240 lbs. with a 7-foot-6 wingspan and a 9-foot-3.5 standing reach. Those measurements place Wiseman in Rudy Gobert territory and even as he slowly learns the intricacies of NBA defense, he could be an impact defender simply from his run and jump ability.

This reliance on athleticism at this stage of his career is, of course, fine. But this leads to Wiseman getting out of position on defense as he expects himself to be able to close the gap more often than he can (as seen in the clip below).

With the Warriors, Wiseman would be sharing the floor with Draymond Green, the perfect partner for a young big who needs to improve his pick-and-roll defense. But while his footwork needs some sharpening, simply parking Wiseman near the basket—whether it be in a zone defense or otherwise—will result in the young big collecting a decent amount of blocked shots. His potential to be a big-time defensive playmaker is the headliner but the entire package of skills Wiseman could one day have is what makes him a possible No. 1 pick.

Wiseman has a solid handle for a player his size but highlights would make you think he’ll be taking it coast-to-coast from Day 1 in the league, which is not the case. On the same note, the aforementioned jumper has some kinks that need to be worked out and we didn’t get to see him attempt a decent amount of 3-pointers in college (0-for-1 from 3PT range over 3 games) to form a critical opinion in that regard. It will take a long time but if Wiseman’s jumper does come along, he becomes the ideal big in Golden State’s motion offense, as he will be a huge threat for the roll or the pop.

The James Wiseman fit with the Warriors is simple: at best, he’s the franchise-player-in-waiting, and at worst, he is a solid two-way big who can man the center position for the Dubs for a long, long time. The potential range of outcomes is large for Wiseman but the Warriors can afford to slightly miss out on the best player in the draft—if Wiseman is not that player—due to their glaring need for an impact center.