Coming off a tough game against the Dallas Mavericks, the Detroit Pistons returned to their home court on Monday night to host the Charlotte Hornets.
Detroit’s big man James Wiseman had himself a decent outing off the bench and made noise on social media for putting together one of their biggest highlight sequences of the night.
Early on in the fourth quarter, Wiseman helped the Pistons extend their lead with a bang.
After getting possession of the ball at the top of the perimeter, the big man took matters into his own hands when he attacked the basket and threw down a one-handed slam with two Charlotte defenders in the vicinity, a sight that Wiseman’s teammates and fans loved.
On Monday night, Wiseman checked off the bench for nearly 18 minutes of playing time. He attempted six shots from the field, finding success on all but two of them. After hitting on both of his free throws, Wiseman scored ten points, which led Detroit’s bench.
The veteran big man wasn’t just productive with his scoring. On the glass, Wiseman totaled nine rebounds, nearly picking up the double-double. He also blocked a shot.
As a former second-overall pick, Wiseman has faced a lot of scrutiny throughout the first few seasons of his career. After an underwhelming two-year stint with the Golden State Warriors, Wiseman landed a fresh start last year when the Pistons acquired him in a four-team trade at the deadline.
In 24 games last season, Wiseman put up career-high numbers with 13 points and eight rebounds per game. While that was a promising view into his fresh start, Wiseman finds himself in a minimized role, playing under Monty Williams for the first time.
In the 44 appearances Wiseman made leading up to Monday’s outing against the Hornets, the veteran center averaged fewer than 15 minutes on the court. All of his appearances have been in a reserve role.
With fewer minutes comes a drop in production. This season, the 22-year-old is putting up just six points per game while coming down with an average of four rebounds. It’s unclear what the future holds for Wiseman, but the final stretch of upcoming games will be important for the Pistons center, who has a lot to prove.
More must-reads: