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Warriors' Steve Kerr: James Wiseman's Season-Ending Knee Injury 'A Tough Blow'
April 16, 2021
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr shared his thoughts on the knee procedure that will keep rookie James Wiseman out for the rest of the year.
Wiseman, who suffered the injury during a defeat of the Houston Rockets on April 10, had surgery Thursday in Los Angeles and is expected to return for the start of the 2021-22 season.
"Everybody I'm in great spirits," Wiseman wrote on Instagram on Thursday night. "Ima come back even stronger. Love you dub nation and i appreciate everybody for checking up on me."
Wiseman, who was the team's pick with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2020 draft, was inconsistent as a rookie but put up numbers that show promise for his future. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds, but he wasn't always able to bring his best to the floor.
He missed much of the Warriors' training camp while going through the league's COVID-19 protocols but still began his NBA career as a starter before he was benched after a month.
The 20-year-old also missed nearly a month when he suffered a wrist injury at the end of January.
When he cracked the starting five again in March, he spoiled that opportunity by missing two days of required COVID-19 testing following the All-Star break and was benched for three quarters of a loss to the Clippers on March 11.
The Warriors are having another disappointing season after losing Klay Thompson for the second consecutive year, and Wiseman going down to injury is another blow for a team that is 28-28 and pushing for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.