James Wiseman’s learning continues

It is not the “Rookie Wall” that struck James Wiseman during the “MLK Day” against the Lakers on Monday night, but an equally rough wall, composed of Anthony Davis and Marc Gasol, two positions 5 with thick leather in the painting.

The rookie took a lesson from the two experienced interiors, and quickly found himself offside with his five fouls. As a result, he could only stay 13 minutes on the floor, accumulating 4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 interception and 1 against, before leaving, to say the least frustrated.

The season of a rookie is far from a long quiet river, and these kinds of nights out are part of the learning process. At Golden State, his teammates showed their support for him after the victory at Staples Center, recalling his good daily behavior and his desire to learn.

“I know he’s a perfectionist, that he wants to be good, to be as productive as possible when he plays, and that he wants to finish games. It’s great to have this level of requirement, to aim as high as possible. But he can’t let himself be overtaken by events, when things don’t work or when he has a bad game ”, said Stephen Curry who knows the importance of his pivot for his team.

Still need time

During the match, James Wiseman was notably caught on the fly by Draymond Green who criticized him for his lack of anticipation. For the interior of the Warriors who acts as a mentor for his young teammate (while waiting for Kevin Garnett?), It will still take a little time for the latter to gain serenity.

“You just have to continue guiding him. We all know it can be frustrating sometimes when the game doesn’t go your way. I imagine how bad it can be for a 19 year old kid who hasn’t been through anything yet. It’s okay, no one is really worried. The game has to slow down for him, he has to calm down, and that will only pass with time. He has to stay in the game, be aggressive. For me, this is the most important ”, he slipped after the meeting.

Steve Kerr also had a few words for his rookie and goes in the same direction as Draymond Green: patience and hard work will be the keys to success for James Wiseman.

“James suffered tonight. Of course, this is the best team in the NBA opposite, playing with Anthony Davis, one of the best greats in the league and Marc Gasol, who has done his thing throughout his career. It’s been a tough night for James, but there will be nights like this in learning his career. He still has to learn a lot. I really like the way he manages things, he listens, he absorbs the instructions of the coaches, he is competitive ”.

As for the state of mind, Steve Kerr was comforted in his beliefs when he heard James Wiseman throwing a cooler in rage after his fifth foul.

“After his fifth foul, as he came back to the bench, he threw a cooler, I didn’t even see him instantly, I just heard him. I turned to Mike Brown, and I said, “I love this”. This is what we want. We don’t want someone who doesn’t care. James cares about it all, but it’s still a kid. It’s a tough league, the lessons are sometimes tough, but he’s learning well, he’s growing every day and he has a great career ahead of him ”. Next test scheduled for tonight, against the Spurs of the Aldridge-Poeltl pair.