The Golden State Warriors had the 2nd pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and selected Memphis C James Wiseman on Wednesday night virtually from ESPN’s headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut.
Wiseman had been viewed early on as the top prospect on the board in the 2020 draft class. Things changed after he left Memphis and sat out the rest of the season before the pandemic hit. Wiseman is a rangy 7-footer who should develop into a plus-defender on the interior if nothing else. He’s got a decent mid-range shot that can use some fine-tuning as well. If Wiseman reaches his peak, he’ll need to add on some mass to help him deal with bigger 5s at the NBA level.
The Timberwolves already have a franchise center in Karl-Anthony Towns. That doesn’t mean Towns and Wiseman can’t exist on the same roster. KAT has the ability to play more of a PF role while Wiseman has the size and defensive acumen to cover up for Towns down low. The All-Star center has never been viewed as a great defender and Wiseman solves Minnesota’s interior defensive issues a bit. Outside of KAT, the T-Wolves don’t have much depth in the front court with just Naz Reid and James Johnson.
Fantasy basketball analysis
Wiseman is considered to be the top center in this draft class and has a chance to flourish in Golden State. The Warriors have a smaller frontcourt with Draymond Green at power forward, so a lanky big like Wiseman should have plenty of chances to rack up rebounds and second-chance points around the rim. He’s effective at blocking shots and could very well average a double-double as a rookie because of Golden State’s limited talent at center.