After being selected second in the 2020 NBA Draft, James Wiseman flamed out with the Warriors before being traded to the Detroit Pistons for Saddiq Bey. And after only one game with the Pacers this season, he’s now out of the league.
James Wiseman was cut by Indiana so they could sign dunk champion Mac McClung, according to Shams Charania, a move that will cost the Pacers a million dollars.
It’s not a good sign when you see a team pay a guy to go away, but the Pacers have had a slew of guard and wing injuries and needed some warm bodies. Also, given their slow start and Haliburton's injury, they probably wanted to give their fans a reason to care.
Wiseman was getting his second second-chance with the Pacers after the Pistons tried and failed to revitalize his career, and you now have to wonder if his time in the NBA is finished.
James Wiseman: Potential never realized
To be fair to Wiseman, he has had bad injury luck in his career, including blowing out his Achilles last season. The 63 games he played in his one full season with the Pistons were by far the most of his career and probably more than he should have played even though he was on the worst team in Pistons history.
And there were times when you could see it with Wiseman. In the 24 games he played in Detroit after being traded, he did average more than 12 points and 8 rebounds per game playing 25 minutes. He had moments when you saw the athleticism, the length and his ability to run the floor and finish around the rim.
But more times than not what you saw was a guy who didn’t know what he was doing on either end of the floor. He was a terrible screen setter, which negated what should have been a strength as a lob threat in the pick-and-roll, and was out of position on defense more times than not. He was always a step behind, always went for impossible blocks, leaving his man open for dunks.
It was the primary reason Steve Kerr had seen enough and put him permanently on the bench in Golden State.
Like Detroit, Indiana thought they might be the ones to unlock all of that potential, but Wiseman was plagued by injuries and all of the same problems on the court. At least Indiana didn’t give up anything to get him, unlike the Pistons, who shipped off Saddiq Bey.
I’m not going to act like Bey is amazing, but the Warriors ended up getting five second-round picks for him, and he did average nearly 14 a game for Atlanta. He’s played in all four games this season for New Orleans (Troy Weaver just can’t help himself) and has averaged 10 points on 41 percent from long range.
James Wiseman may get a job in the NBA eventually, as some team may suffer enough injuries to be desperate enough, but the problem is that wherever he goes, there he is. I wish him well.