the same reason why Jokic went to the second round, scouts can't predict the future
this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2023
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Tbf, in this case it's not even about the future, Jokić was just better as overall NBA player in his first game than Wiseman will ever be. People thought he'd go spend some time in Europe first, but he started playing 20 minutes a game immediately and Denver had an amazing score in the minutes he was on court even in his rookie season.
So it's not even future really, just playing in NBA - if Jokić was to never become better than in his rookie season, he'd still be drafted way way higher if people knew.
Why don't teams simply draft the better player lol are they stupid
Also, why don’t they just go in the future and draft the better player to their team!? What the hell is wrong with them?!?
They were definitely stupid in this case. It was obvious Wiseman would never amount to a top talent out of the draft
Good god, man. Why does no one realize how easy it is to evaluate potential?
The top 10 of that draft was absolutely horrendous other than LaMelo (who was considered the most risky prospect in recent memory) and Ant who went #1
Crazy to think how good the Warriors would be if they took LaMelo instead
You forgot Tyrese Haliburton
12th pick
Haliburton wasn’t drafted in the top 10
James Wiseman doesn’t get nearly enough love.
I mean there were a lot of folks that had him or LaMelo #1. There were a fair amount of respected folks that said he was the safest choice between those two and Ant. That seems absolutely ridiculous in hindsight, but That's what the consensus was heading into the draft.
He played one game at Memphis and put up good numbers against a bad team, so he shut down his college career and let all the draft analysts stew over his 1-game college career sample size under Covid protocols. And it worked brilliantly until he actually had to play in the NBA.
7 foot tall, 7-4 wingspan, runs fast, jumps high, can shoot midrange (potentially distance), allegedly great passer and a very scary defender with "amazing awareness" around the rim and good speed and timing overall.
His shortcomings were considered as "well, he is young, those will be fixed with experience".
He wasn't considered a good defender tho
I basically just quoted the main draft websites lol.
Nbadraftroom: "a force on the defensive end, where he alters and blocks a lot of shots, showing good timing, quick elevation and good shot blocking instincts. His awareness on the defensive end is something that can’t be taught and Wiseman projects as a legit rim protector at the college and NBA levels. He also does a nice job of altering perimeter shots and has enough foot-speed to bother guards beyond the three point line"
Bleacher: "Curry, Thompson and Wiggins should handle the bulk of the scoring load while Green and Wiseman rebound and play tough defense"
Nbadraftjunkies: "unliimited potential on both ends (...) as rim protector"
Athletic: "Some think his defensive ability on the interior does bring that kind of upside [to be a star]"
Peachthreehoops: "Wiseman is on track to being a defensive force, with his wingspan, vertical athleticism and impressive quickness when compared to players his size. At present, he is best utilized in a “drop” pick-and-roll scheme, with Wiseman not flashing the kind of switchable deployment that teams may like to use on the perimeter. That is a mild concern but, at the same time, it is possible that Wiseman is the kind of dominant rim protector — a la Rudy Gobert, though no one should be compared to him — that can lead a team to mold the scheme to his talents."
Those are not selected, just copies the first comments Google turns up about him.
What the hell, I was super invested in that draft and don't remember him being rated a great defender.
I know he was PROJECTED to be a great defender, but not that he was a great defender outside of blocking shots
the novel coronavirus
tbf #2 pick is low key cursed
Sam Bowie
the pick truly has such a history of busts, misfortune, and tragedy (len bias)
I thought it was insane to take him over LaMelo at the time, but I was not nearly low enough on him.
Competent big men are easy to find. Even Ayton, number 1 pick was traded for Nurkic (who fits the suns better)
I also thought the ayton pick was dumb. The decision to pass on Luka was indefensible at the time.
Ah the "we can get a good vet big for cheap" myth
Good centers are extremely hard to find, the best center the warriors have had in their dynasty was Bogut, no, centers aren't easy to find
I watched Wiesman as a rookie and he looked impressive the couple of games that I was able to catch that year before he got hurt; especially for someone who only played 3 games in college imo. He doesn't look anything like that player anymore unfortunately.