Warriors Rumors: James Wiseman No Longer 'A Lock' After LaMelo Ball Workout

The Golden State Warriors may not be set on selecting James Wiseman with the No. 2 overall pick after all.

Jonathan Givony of ESPN reported the Warriors came away impressed with LaMelo Ball at a recent workout, putting the guard potentially on their radar in Wednesday's NBA draft. Ball remains a candidate for the No. 1 overall pick with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but Givony reported "most signs" point to them selecting Anthony Edwards.

Wiseman has been seen as the likeliest candidate for Golden State for much of the draft process given the team's need for an interior force. The Memphis product is an instant-impact 7-footer who could be a double-double threat who blocks shots at the rim. Golden State could use Wiseman in a role similar to the one player by JaVale McGee and Festus Ezeli in previous years, except at a much higher level.

However, there is some limit to Wiseman's ceiling in the modern NBA. He projects as something of an Andre Drummond/Hassan Whiteside type—a very good player who is limited by a lack of ability to stretch the floor or switch on defense. NBA teams have overwhelmingly pushed their bigs to develop outside shots, and the successful ones who have not (e.g., Bam Adebayo) are more versatile switching pick-and-rolls than Wiseman.

Selecting Ball would be a move aimed at acquiring the most high-end talent regardless of positional fit. Ball has no obvious immediate role in Golden State, with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson manning the guard positions for the foreseeable future. While the Warriors did acquire D'Angelo Russell last offseason, that was born of necessity after Kevin Durant left and with the knowledge Thompson would miss the 2019-20 season.

The Warriors also traded Russell after half of a season for a better positional fit in Andrew Wiggins.

Golden State could do something similar with Ball, but his lack of opportunity with the team could present a challenge in increasing his value.