No Win November: James Wiseman’s Struggle with the Pistons

Have you ever noticed that all of the months are themed? From a historical impact such as Black History Month in February or something silly like National Icecream Month In July, there’s something for everyone to celebrate. November, to some, is known as “No Shave November.” If you’re a guy and didn’t get tightened up, November was off-limits for a cut. For the Pistons, November was “No Win November.” 15 games, 15 defeats.

We see a talented young player losing his ground on the tail end of this incredible losing streak. Center James Wiseman played in ten of the fifteen games the Pistons played.

James Wiseman Stats

• 5.4PPG
• 3.2 REB
• 0.3 AST
• 0.1 STLS
• 0.3 BLKS
• 11.1 MPG

For a number 2 overall pick, these numbers are deflating. Not only for James Wiseman but also for a Pistons squad that needs all hands on deck with their talent right now. As this season progresses, you question whether Wiseman would be one of those “all-time busts.” At a point in time, though, Wiseman was seen as a lock.

Big Time Potential/Small Sample Size

Coming out of East High School in Tennessee, Wiseman was the number one player in the country. His 25.8 points,14.8 rebounds, and 5.5 blocks earned him the Gatorade National Player of the Year and the Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year. Wiseman also won the Tennessee Class AAA Mr. Basketball award while appearing in the McDonald’s All-American Game, the Jordan Brand Classic, and the Nike Hoop Summit. He shared Most Valuable Player (MVP) accolades with Cole Anthony at the Jordan Brand Classic. Wiseman chose Memphis over Florida State, Kansas, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt when choosing schools.

Wiseman missed the preseason games due to a shoulder and ankle injury. When Wiseman made his debut, He scored 28 points, grabbed 11 rebounds. He also blocked three shots in 22 minutes of action in a 97-64 Memphis victory over South Carolina. Three days later, he was ruled ineligible due to accepting money from his coach to help him and his family move to Memphis. After filing (and winning) a temporary restraining order, Wiseman played against UIC, scored 17 points, and grabbed nine rebounds. After a back and forth between Wiseman and the NCAA, Wiseman announced he would leave Memphis and began preparing for the 2020 NBA draft.

“Relatively Safe Pick” in the 2020 Draft

Despite only playing in a small sample of games at Memphis, Wiseman was still seen as one of the highest-rated players in the class. Wiseman was categorized as a big man who could run the floor and was a high-level athlete, not just a big body. His post-up and mid-range game were good, and he had a soft touch around the basket. His potential on offense was met with even more significant potential on defense. Finally, his awareness on defense was seen as elite; Wiseman was a can’t-miss pick with the potential to be an elite rim protector.

Conversely, Wiseman was a bit top-heavy and needed to add muscle to the lower body. He relied too much on his left hand and needed to polish his footwork. He also needed to get better body control when moving down in the post. A lot of his weaknesses were technique, and those were things that could be cleaned up with the right coaching in place. The eye test is the hurdle everyone overlooked. Wiseman entered the 2020 draft knowing he would be off the board relatively early.

Championship Expectations in Golden State killed his development

The 19-20 NBA season for the Warriors was filled with intrigue. Kevin Durant left for Brooklyn, and D’Angelo Russell came in his place. Klay Thompson was scheduled to miss the entire season after tearing his achilles during game six of the NBA finals. Steph Curry was still in the fold, but he played in only five games that season due to a broken hand. Any chances that the Warriors may have had went entirely down the drain.

Then COVID hit the NBA, causing it to suspend games for months. Golden State went into the off-season hopeful that their guys would be coming back, in addition to now holding a top 5 pick to help bolster the roster even more. When the ping-pong balls stopped bouncing, The Warriors ended up with the 2nd overall pick in the draft. With no evident need for a point guard (LaMelo Ball) and Minnesota needing a 2nd scorer to pair with Karl Anthony-Towns (Anthony Edwards), Golden State got Wiseman.

Wiseman’s rookie year saw him play only 39 games. He averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds while playing 21.4 minutes per game. He made his season debut in December 2020 and had 19 points, six rebounds and two steals. On January 27, 2021, Wiseman scored his season-high points with 25 and six rebounds. He was forced to miss the rest of the season due to a torn right meniscus.

Stalled in San Francisco

Wiseman’s second season for him saw a return just in time for the Warriors playoff push. He was assigned to play games with the Warriors G-League Affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, before making his NBA return. Unfortunately, another setback caused him to miss the entire season and miss out on contributing to the Warriors’ championship.

Wiseman played with the Warrior’s summer league team in 2022 and was beginning to look like the player Golden State had envisioned when they drafted them. Unfortunately, Wiseman couldn’t show that potential during the season and played sparingly. Ultimately, The Warriors decided to cut their loss and traded him to the Detroit Pistons.

Couldn’t Separate Himself From The Others

In Detroit, The move was met with positivity and criticism. On the positive side, you acquired a guy with immense talent who didn’t get a fair shake with a championship-quality team. On the flip side, why would you add another big when you traded for Jalen Duren, signed Marvin Bagley, and had Isaiah Stewart on the team? I think the Pistons were trying to mirror what the Cleveland Cavaliers did to make them one of the surprise teams in the NBA that year. They paired Evan Mobley with Jarrett Allen and became elite defensively.

In the 24 games he played with the Pistons, Wiseman averaged 12.4 points and 8.1 rebounds while shooting 53% from the floor. He had 23 points and seven rebounds against the Charlotte Hornets on February 27, 2023. In the 24 games he played, Wiseman had eight double-doubles. The fit was still considered strange, considering the depth of prominent men and no defined roles for any of those guys.

James Wiseman is stuck in Detroit. He couldn’t distinguish himself from the other big men on the team, and now he had to ride the bench. The potential is there. We’ve seen flashes of it but it seems his headspace isn’t in the right place right now. For a team that’s won only two games, the opportunity should be there for you to showcase yourself. Think about that for a minute; You can’t get a legitimate run on one of the worst teams in the NBA right now. What’s going on?

In Conclusion

James Wiseman has to be set free in Detroit. The thought was nice, but it’s evident that Wiseman isn’t a part of the plan in the future. There should be a market for him. He’s Only 22 years old and has the skill set to succeed. It’s tough seeing any player with so much promise and hype not being able to continue on the pathway to success. I hope this isn’t the beginning of the end for a player who’s been hyped to be the next great big. I’m pulling for you, James!