James Wiseman scrimmages with Warriors, but Steve Kerr says 'no proclamations' about his return are imminent

The 20-year-old big man played 39 games last year and has yet to make his 2021-22 season debut

On Wednesday, James Wiseman participated in the Golden State Warriors' first practice after the All-Star break. Coach Steve Kerr told reporters that this included a 12-minute scrimmage.

"He looked good," Kerr said. "Yeah, he's moving well and feeling good. He had a good All-Star break. Got away for a couple of days, but got some work in, too. it's just great to see him back out on the floor, see him smiling, seeing him happy. It's all good stuff."

Wiseman, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, has been sidelined since tearing his meniscus in his right knee last April. He had surgery then, and he had a second procedure in mid-December. The 20-year-old big man could give the team a different look, but Kerr said that the Warriors are "taking it day by day" with him: Wiseman will take part in shootaround in Portland on Thursday, but, after initially saying that he would be on their four-game road trip next week, Kerr said he wasn't completely sure about that.  

"No proclamations," Kerr said. "No plans beyond the next day."

It is unclear what role Wiseman will play when he gets back. Golden State is 42-17, second in the West, and it will use the final 23 games to find "some rotations that make sense and that fit," Kerr said. Draymond Green has barely played in the 2022 calendar year and Andre Iguodala has barely played since mid-January. Klay Thompson and Otto Porter Jr. haven't been playing back-to-backs. This means lineups have fluctuated, but Kerr wants to find some consistency and settle on some combinations as the team gets closer to the playoffs. Wiseman has not shared the floor with Thompson, nor has he played with most of the Warriors' reserves.

In the short term, Kerr said Golden State will "probably" stick with the starting lineup it used against the Denver Nuggets last Wednesday, with Gary Payton II in Green's spot next to Stephen Curry, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney. The coaching staff will have difficult decisions to make if and when it the Warriors' full squad is healthy, but Kerr is not getting ahead of himself.

"We're really hoping that everything works out health-wise for our team and that we can have everybody available," Kerr said. "But we'll see."