Warriors’ James Wiseman cheered by fans, teammates in return

James Wiseman’s return to the NBA — even if it was only a summer league game — didn’t go unnoticed. By the fans or his Golden State Warriors’ teammates.

Wiseman was cheered on by a large Thomas & Mack Center crowd after slamming down an alley-oop pass for a dunk on the first possession of Sunday night’s NBA Summer League game against the San Antonio Spurs. Then, in the locker room after the game, his teammates greeted him with a warm reception.

“It was a great moment,” Wiseman said after an 86-85 victory. “I’ve been through a lot of hard times, especially as a person and as a human being. But to see everybody rooting for me and uplifting me, that’s a great feeling.”

The 7-foot center scored 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting and had two rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes, his first game since three G-League appearances in March.

Wiseman, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft, played just 39 games as a rookie before his season ended because of a torn meniscus in his right knee. He had surgery in April 2021, then underwent a second procedure in December.

Wiseman planned to return for the stretch run this past season but was shut down because of swelling in the knee after the G-League games.

But he was finally back on the court Sunday, much to the delight of his teammates.

“He makes all of our jobs easier,” said 2021 first-round pick Jonathan Kuminga, who scored 26 points and threw the lob on the early Wiseman highlight. “Just having him rolling like that, it’s going to open up the paint.

“Then on defense, he just plays so big and so smart. Having a guy like that with his basketball IQ helps a lot.”

That’s the end of the floor where Wiseman can truly bolster Golden State’s championship roster, the hope that he can be a game-changing rim protector.

Summer League coach Jama Mahlalela said Wiseman’s stats aren’t a concern right now. He said the staff wants to see him communicate defensively and handle the pick-and-roll.

The 21-year-old passed the first test.

“For him to be able to come out and play in a Summer League game with good composure and playing at the rim, blocking some shots, he just looked like a really good basketball player,” Mahlalela said. “That first outing is all we wanted, and we told him to come out, have fun, enjoy the game and let it come to him.”

Wiseman was particularly effective in the first of his five-minute stretches as the team managed his time. After the early dunk, he blocked the Spurs’ first shot attempt, then hit his only 3-point try.

“There are a lot of things for me to work on,” Wiseman said. “My timing was pretty off. But this was my first game. I had fun out there.”

Wiseman and Mahlalela said the plan is for Wiseman to play again when the Warriors face the Boston Celtics at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

He tried to talk the coaches into letting him go over his minutes restriction, but they wouldn’t budge. It’s far more important to make sure he’s healthy when the Warriors begin defense of their title in the fall.

Wiseman got a ring after Golden State defeated Boston in the NBA Finals but admitted it was tough watching from the sideline.

“But I kept telling myself that my time is coming,” he said.

He credited teammates who have been through protracted injury layoffs with providing comfort that his situation will improve. Klay Thompson in particular has been a reassuring voice.

But there are no guarantees. In the wild and wacky world of the offseason, Wiseman has been mentioned in trade rumors.

Not that it bothers him.

“At the end of the day, it’s a business,” he said. “I just play basketball. I don’t worry about too much of the media stuff.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.