Warriors Rumors: James Wiseman to Start at Center in Season Opener vs. Nets

Welcome to the NBA, James Wiseman. 

The rookie center reportedly will get the start for the Golden State Warriors in their season opener vs. the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

As Slater noted, "No summer league, no preseason, only a sprinkle of college hoops, but he'll debut against [Kevin Durant] and [Kyrie Irving]. Into the fire. He's impressed enough in camp and they're extremely high on his future."

The bad news for the Dubs is that defensive keystone Draymond Green will miss the game. That leaves the starting lineup likely to be as follows:

• PG: Steph Curry
• SG: Kelly Oubre Jr. 
• SF: Andrew Wiggins
• PF: Eric Paschall
• C: Wiseman

For Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft, it will be a trial by fire. For the Dubs, it will give them an early look at how he handles the various responsibilities of being a starting center. The team can always turn to Marquese Chriss in the role if Wiseman struggles. 

Head coach Steve Kerr is prepared to take some lumps with Wiseman, as he told Slater on Monday:

"Let's give him the experience of giving him the different pictures that are in front of him. Every NBA game for a young player is filled with these snapshots that go a million miles an hour. As you play, those snapshots slow down quite a bit because you recognize the pattern in that snapshot. So our job is to recognize those patterns, realize his responsibilities within those patterns and get him comfortable executing."

The Warriors title hopes took a major hit when Klay Thompson was lost for the season. Their playoff hopes were placed in doubt as well given the depth in the Western Conference. But if Wiseman can hit the ground running and make a major impact as a rookie, the Dubs could be a problem and make some noise out West. 

We'll get a clearer picture of where Wiseman is in his development Tuesday night.