The Golden State Warriors had plenty of options when they were entitled to the second-overall pick of the 2020 NBA draft. And while some people thought they’d get LaMelo Ball, they wound up drafting James Wiseman instead.
Wiseman was considered the best player in the nation during his days in high school. However, his suspension – and eventual dropout – from Memphis University raised several questions regarding his development and how ready he’d be for the NBA.
Thus far, he’s shown flashes of great potential, and is clear that he’s a physically gifted player but he’s yet to turn the corner and be an impactful player for the team, thus making some fans wonder whether he’s actually going to be good or not.
James Wiseman Says He’s Getting Advice From Kyrie Irving And Kevin Durant
That’s why the rookie continues to work on his game every single day. In fact, he recently said that he reaches out to Kevin Durant on a daily basis, and that Kyrie Irving has also been quite helpful for him:
“I talk to KD (Kevin Durant) every day. We talk about the system, how he was able to fit into the system here. And he just gave me a lot of advice,” the Warriors rookie told the media, as quoted by Anthony Slater.
“Kyrie Irving just told me in order to separate myself from my class I have to have the effort. And just keep putting in the work. Just keep putting in more minutes and more hours into my craft. Just work hard every day,” he added.
Thus far, Wiseman is averaging 11.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game on 51/33/63 shooting splits and roughly 21.7 minutes a night. Hopefully, he’ll get it going rather sooner than later and prove his critics wrong.