OKC Thunder draft prospect profile: James Wiseman

James Wiseman strengths and weaknesses

Strengths:

Although three games were hardly enough of a representative sample to boast about, the fact remains Wiseman was everything and more in those three games. He averaged THREE blocks and made it look effortless in doing so.

For a big man, his feet and movement are top-notch which bodes well for his ability to defend out to the perimeter, switch quickly in defensive coverages, and recover quickly to get from under the rim out to the arc.

He’s a freakish athlete with an NBA-ready body. This past season began with Wiseman sitting firmly atop every big board and mock draft ladder for good reason. The fact he is still considered a top-three pick speaks to his abundance of talent.

His offensive toolbox is equipped with the ability to run the floor and score easily in transition, rise about the rim for dunks, score against size under the rim, and is fairly adept at scoring in the mid-range. He’ll need to develop and expand his range but the oddsmakers are banking on his ability to deliver.

Weaknesses:

Clearly the limited game tally this season means there simply isn’t a large enough sample size to make definitive statements on what Wiseman can or will do over a longer stretch of games.

While being a southpaw is a big advantage he needs to work on his right hand and develop his ability to score with it particularly under the rim.

And, while he fills up the box score his passing needs work as does his ability to create his own offense when he’s put in isolation outside the paint.

As noted in the next slide Wiseman has been compared to an NBA big man (Hassan Whiteside) with that 7′ height and massive wingspan. Likewise, Whiteside and Wiseman each have been questioned regarding their motor. And, without the ability to learn if that was simply growing pains of a high school student this question won’t be answered until he plays a full season.