The former second overall pick will be competing for a roster spot when he returns from an Achilles’ injury.
The Indiana Pacers announced on Monday that they have re-signed center James Wiseman. The former Golden State Warriors center and second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft will have an opportunity to compete for a long-term role in Indiana when he returns from a torn Achilles. Wiseman signed a one-year deal with the Pacers last offseason, but tore his Achilles after just five minutes into his first game.
Wiseman has had an undeniably rough string of luck despite being the consensus top recruit in the country back in 2019. His college career was cut short after just three games thanks to the NCAA’s draconian rules preventing athletes from receiving financial support. Since he was drafted, a combination of the COVID pandemic, the Warriors justified intention to compete for championship’s late in Steph Curry’s career, and injuries have all played a role in giving Wiseman less time on the court to develop and improve. Injuries have been the biggest factor. After last season, Wiseman has missed roughly three seasons worth of games due to injury in just five years since he was drafted.
For the first time, Wiseman will have an opportunity in a situation that has a competent ecosystem of coaches and players, but will not be desperately pulling every lever to maximize immediate results. The Pacers just finished the season a victory away from a title, but lost their best player (Tyrese Haliburton) to an Achilles injury of his own. With Haliburton out for the season, the Pacers historically cheap ownership allowed longtime starting center Myles Turner to leave in free agency. Rather than replacing Turner with another veteran, the Pacers are clearly going to give several less proven players a chance to secure a larger role.
Assuming Wiseman is able to make the team, he will join Jay Huff, Tony Bradley, and Isaiah Jackson as the Pacers centers. Wiseman will likely enter the season as the 4th center on the depth chart, but still may have the highest ceiling of the group. Wiseman may never be able to find his footing as an NBA player, but still just 24, it’s easy to understand why the Pacers are willing to roll the dice on giving him another opportunity.