The Golden State Warriors got a rare win on Saturday night, securing a 125-109 win over the Houston Rockets for just their third positive result in their last 11 outings. However, the win was bittersweet as rookie big man James Wiseman suffered a knee injury in the second quarter.
The Warriors announced Sunday that Wiseman underwent an MRI, which revealed a meniscus injury in his right knee. The team will undergo further evaluations on Wiseman's injury and update his status "as appropriate." As they consult with doctors, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski says there's certainly an expectation that Wiseman's season is over.
The injury took place when Wiseman was rolling to the rim, and tried to go up for a dunk after catching a pass. Instead, he was rejected by Rockets' KJ Martin, and the force of the block caused Wiseman to lose his balance. He landed awkwardly and crashed to the floor near the basket stanchion.
James Wiseman has left the floor after taking this hard fall pic.twitter.com/Xfcj51dbI2
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 11, 2021
He hobbled to his feet but was in no position to continue playing, and soon made his way to the locker room. A short time later, the Warriors announced Wiseman would not be returning to the game due to a right knee injury.
This is just the latest chapter of what's been a difficult rookie campaign for Wiseman, who was taken No. 2 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. He's had his moments, and is putting up decent numbers at 11.6 points and 5.9 rebounds on 51.8 percent shooting from the field. But the team has been much better with him off the floor -- plus-2.6 net rating with him on the bench, minus-8.8 net rating with him on the court -- and he's struggled with his confidence at times.
Although the Warriors are better when Wiseman is on the bench, he's their most talented young player, and giving him playing time is the only way he'll develop. Unfortunately, this injury throws a wrench in his progression, especially if he is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
