Warriors’ James Wiseman reveals key lesson his knee injury taught him

James Wiseman had to stay on the sideline as the Warriors went through the ups and downs of their 2021-22 season, which culminated in an NBA Finals win over the Boston Celtics.

The 21-year-old center recently revealed on the "Point Forward" podcast that rehabbing his right knee, in which he'd torn his meniscus, was "very hard" for him, as he couldn't contribute to the Warriors' championship run.

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"To be honest, going through the adversity was very hard for me because I'm such a competitor," Wiseman told Warriors teammate Andre Iguodala and former NBA swingman Evan Turner. "So, just watching the game, it kind of made me sick to my stomach a little bit because I wanted to be out there to contribute to the team. But I wasn't able to because I was in a situation that I couldn't control."

Nonetheless, Wiseman used his inability to help the team win a championship as motivation to put in the work this offseason and be ready to help the Warriors defend their title this season.

"Just seeing that, it made me work even harder to put more of a battery in my back to just make sure that I appreciate the game more when I'm back out there," said Wiseman, who has played in just 51 games for the Warriors since they drafted him No. 2 overall in 2020. "And that's why I'm back out here. I'm willing to learn and just do anything I can to be the best version of myself because, man, the injury taught me that what you love can get taken away quickly. So, you got to cherish."

This season's adversity for Wiseman is different, as he has dealt with heading to the NBA G League and playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors, though he was called back to Golden State's roster earlier this week. He made the most of his time in the G League, choosing to dominate the competition rather than let the demotion affect his confidence.