In his first NBA game playing in front of fans, James Wiseman put on a show in the Warriors’ 96-87 win over the Washington Wizards in their preseason opener in Japan.
The 7-footer, who hadn’t played in a game in more than 17 months, scored a game-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting and used the butterflies he said he had to help him fly and throw down five dunks.
And those butterflies turned into a Hercules beetle when Wiseman put Kristaps Porziņģis on a poster with a nasty dunk followed by a mean staredown.
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The 21-year-old was just short of a double-double after picking up a team-high nine boards. He also had one assist and one block.
Another dunk that had fans on their feet was a nice alley-oop from Steph Curry.
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In April 2020, Wiseman suffered a torn right meniscus injury that kept him out for the remainder of the season and the entire 2021-22 season. The former No. 2 overall draft pick played in 39 games as a rookie during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in front of virtual fans.
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Now, with real fans back and the Warriors coming off a championship season, Wiseman finally will get to showcase his talents on the big stage.