James Wiseman almost gave up on the NBA. Now he’s on the opening night roster for the defending champs.
The Knicks invited a number of veterans to compete for the last spot on their roster, an approach that worked well last season when Landry Shamet emerged from a crowded field to become one of the team’s most important bench players. Wiseman beat out John “Jitty” Konchar, Ochai Agbaji, Tony Bradley and Bruce Brown, while his competition at center, Drew Eubanks, tore a pectoral muscle and got waived.
Now Wiseman steps in as the third center for the Knicks, behind Karl-Anthony Towns and rebounder supreme Andre Drummond. He’s in a very different position than he was when the Warriors selected him with the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, having had his career derailed by injuries.
Wiseman wasn’t a good fit as a raw rookie who played just three games in college before turning pro, trying to find his place on a veteran team that had championship aspirations. His pandemic-shortened rookie season had virtually no training camp, then he suffered a meniscus tear that cost him the end of the year and all of his sophomore season. Golden State eventually traded him to the Detroit Pistons in 2023, more to ditch his salary than anything else.
The Pistons had a glut of young centers and Wiseman again had trouble getting playing time. It looked like he had found a home with the Indiana Pacers in 2024, only to tear his Achilles in the first game of the season.
Why is he getting another chance in New York? The answer is head coach Mike Brown, who had experience coaching Wiseman with the Warriors and called him a “fantastic human being.” Wiseman is still just 25 years old, younger than both Quinten Post and Charles Bassey and only a year-and-a-half older than Yaxel Lendeborg. He has a fantastic chance to rebuild his career, especially if he can win over Tracy Morgan, Timothee Chalamet, and Spike Lee.
Wiseman’s NBA future may depend on him turning into a solid shot-blocker and rebounder, who can be a reasonable threat as a perimeter shooter. He should get chances to prove himself, as Towns is going to play a lot of minutes at power forward, and the 33-year-old Drummond is no longer the iron man he used to be. The limited, specific role the Knicks need from Wiseman might just be what he needs to establish himself as a reliable backup big.
It’s a tiny role on an extremely famous team, and one that could showcase Wiseman, not necessarily as a future star, but as a competent NBA center, After all, Wiseman has played only 152 games in a six-year NBA career, which is only five more than Gui Santos. And while he hasn’t found success on the court, Wiseman has never been a jerk — he just keeps getting hurt.
For the Knicks, it’s a calculated gamble for a team with very little financial wiggle room. While Wiseman is officially the third center, the potential upside of Wiseman, especially when playing with someone like Jalen Brunson, is quite intriguing. The Knicks only need Wiseman to be an adequate backup center. If he provides more than that, it’s a huge bonus for the defending champions.
Three years ago, would you have believed that James Wiseman was closer to winning an NBA title than Steph Curry? This is the world we’re living in.
