- Programming note: Watch James Wiseman and the Santa Cruz Warriors play the South Bay Lakers at 7 tonight on NBC Sports Bay Area and streaming on the MyTeams app or NBC Sports app.
James Wiseman's third NBA season took a surprising but necessary turn this week when the Warriors decided to assign him to their G League affiliate in Santa Cruz.
Finally healthy, Wiseman hasn't been able to find a consistent role with the Warriors this season, and when he played, he struggled.
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So, following the Warriors' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, coach Steve Kerr announced that Wiseman would spend at least 10 days with Santa Cruz.
While Wiseman has a lot to work on, ESPN's NBA analyst Zach Lowe highlighted two specific areas where he wants to see the 7-foot center improve.
"So Jordan Poole said, 'Go and shoot all the shots you want,' but in that sense, the G League is easier for guards than for big men," Lowe said on "NBA Today" on Tuesday. "The guards bring the ball up, they can shoot. I don't think James Wiseman needs to work on shooting all the shots that he wants. I think he needs to work on two things if he wants to fit in with the Warriors. No. 1 is pick-and-roll defense. There's just way too much airspace on defense when he's the low man in pick and roll. Too easy pocket passes."
Lowe adds that Wiseman's footwork and defensive positioning needs work though struggles on that end are to be expected from a young big man.
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"And the second thing is passing. I don't want him to shoot all the shots he wants. I want him to get frisky as a passer, try some daring passes to back-door cutters and some no-look passes. Try some stuff that gets you into the fast-moving way the Warriors play. Because that's another weak spot in his game. They're going to need him at some point, and like Kendra [Andrews] said, he needs reps. He's not going to get reps right now."
In 11 games off the bench with the Warriors this season, Wiseman is averaging 6.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 13.4 minutes.
This isn't Wiseman's first G League stint as he appeared in two games last season while rehabbing his surgically repaired knee.
Wiseman's first chance to work on his game comes Saturday night as the Sea Dubs host the South Bay Lakers at Kaiser Permanente Arena.
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Santa Cruz plays a back-to-back on the road at the Salt Lake City Stars on Monday and Tuesday. It's unclear if Wiseman will play in one or both of those games.