Steve Kerr addressed the media Tuesday afternoon and made the news official:
James Wiseman will start at center for the Warriors in their season opener vs. Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets.
How did the No. 2 overall pick in last month's NBA draft react when given the news?
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"Not anything beyond just an acknowledgment," Kerr said. "I think he expects to start. He expects to be a good player in this league.
"So there wasn't any great surprise."
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Why does Golden State's coach feel Wiseman is ready for this opportunity?
"I don't know if he is ready. We're throwing him into the fire," Kerr explained. "But what he has shown is a maturity that allows him to absorb information quickly, and understand what we're looking for.
"It's gonna take time for him to grow into the player that he's capable of becoming. But he's putting in the work every day and he's been great to coach.
"We'll give him the start and get him going. Long season from here."
How does Kerr expect to deploy the 7-footer?
"Shorter spurs for sure. He's not ready yet to play big minutes," the eight-time NBA champion said. "Short spurts and we'll see how it goes from there."
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Did the 2015-16 NBA Coach of the Year deliver any specific message to Wiseman?
"My message to him today was to enjoy it. This is his first NBA game. He'll remember this game forever -- good, bad, ugly. It doesn't matter.
"So I want him to have fun. To embrace it, to try to contain the energy and start to understand the actions that he's gonna be facing when he's on defense. And then the execution that we're looking for on offense."