Top three story lines of the upcoming NBA Draft
By Rylan Stiles
Can James Wiseman work in the NBA?
Well, to answer this question, it depends on your definition of work. Wiseman only got to play in three college basketball games for the Memphis Tigers before an off-court NCAA scandal derailed his college career. It was once believed he would come back around this time, but ultimately Wiseman decided to step away from the college game and focus on the NBA Draft.
It is no secret in the three games Wiseman played in, he dominated. Posting a 19.7 points per game average, 10.7 rebounds per game, and three blocks per contest. Wiseman was incredibly fun to watch, and was literally a man amongst boys on the court, especially when two of his three games were against mid-major schools. Wiseman saw his worst performance against then top-ranked Oregon going for 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Given the fact that he could not answer the biggest question about him in just three games, that question being his motor, I believe the NBA combined and private team workouts will be huge for Wiseman’s NBA Draft stock.
As I mentioned with LaMelo Ball, it is uncommon for top-prospects to play in the NBA Combined scrimmages, but Wiseman may need to so he can silence some critics.
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The big question is can James Wiseman work in the NBA? Is he worth a top-pick? Some project him as a potential number one overall pick. I think the only team that is in position to make him a top pick is if the Warriors win the lottery and get the top pick and don’t want to trade the pick.
Adding Wiseman to that Warriors core puts them back into that unbeatable pantheon. However, not many organizations are a center away.
At best I see Wiseman being another Deandre Ayton. A very good big, that can put up very good numbers in the NBA, but not a guy that can carry your franchise. He needs an elite running mate to untap his potential.
He is not one of these picks that can transcend an organization like an Anthony Davis, or a Karl Anthony-Towns. While he will still be a very good NBA player, do not read this the wrong way, if you are an organization wanting to draft for a franchise-altering player, take a shot on another guy.
Wiseman will still go top-five, and again, will still put up huge numbers. He just won’t change the course of a franchise.