The Detroit Pistons had two rookies this season. But there was a third player who, from an organizational standpoint, was essentially a rookie as well: James Wiseman.
Consider 2022 first overall pick (and Rookie of the Year favorite) Paolo Banchero logged 2,430 minutes through 72 games with the Orlando Magic. Wiseman, through three NBA seasons, has played 84 games and 1,703 minutes.
Nine rookies this season, including the Pistons’ Jaden Ivey, played more than Wiseman has over three years (he missed his entire Year 2). It positions him for a unique offseason, as he will become eligible for his rookie extension this summer, following a small sample size compared to his peers.
Wiseman is firmly in “prove it” mode two months after arriving in Detroit from the Golden State Warriors at the trade deadline in February. The 2020 second overall pick has long had a big fan in Pistons general manager Troy Weaver, who ranked Wiseman atop his draft board. It remains to be seen if the organization is prepared to sign him to a long-term deal, especially considering Wiseman has incentive to let the market set his value as a restricted free agent in 2024 if the Pistons aren’t willing to pay him big money now.
Following Wiseman’s 24-game stint with the Pistons — during which he showed his high ceiling but also the sheer amount of growth ahead of him — Weaver remains high on the 22-year-old center’s potential. Seven-footers with Wiseman’s coordination, open floor speed and touch don’t come around often. It’s up to Wiseman to show he can be a positive on both sides of the floor.
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“I like what he brings — his skillset, his length, his athleticism,” Weaver said during his end-of-season news conference last Tuesday. “He’s a really good athlete for a big guy. He’s got work to do in the weight room, but on the floor, he’s really gotta step his defense up, for sure, and just be more consistent. But him just playing, it was great to see. We like what he brings to the table. We see big upside there.”
“Just getting stronger, working on my shooting, my defensive awareness and my rebounding position” Wiseman said on his offseason training. “Really all aspects of my game.”
Weaver and Wiseman, who averaged 12.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and shot 53.1% from the floor while starting 22 of 24 games, both hit on his biggest areas for improvement. His athleticism immediately translated, as did his interior scoring. The aspects of the game he’s not naturally inclined in will dictate his future.
First, his defense. Wisemans has the physical tools to be a good — if not elite — defender. He has a 7-foot-6 wingspan and possesses the mobility of a smaller player. Beyond rim protection, he could hypothetically become the rare big who can stick with perimeter players as well. Memphis Grizzlies big man (and Michigan State alumnus) Jaren Jackson Jr. and Cleveland Cavaliers big Evan Mobley are both Defensive Player of the Year finalists, largely because there are few defensive assignments they can’t handle.
But good defense doesn’t require elite athleticism. It’s based on strong instincts and an understanding of what the other team is trying to accomplish. Wiseman has a long way to go to become an effective defender. He was often out of position, and lacked the timing and sustained effort needed.
Despite his tools, Wiseman is an average shot-blocker, with 0.8 for the Pistons in 25.2 minutes per game. Blocks are an imperfect measure for rim protection, but good rim protectors typically are good at rejecting shots — particularly those with Wiseman’s physical gifts. Mobley rejected 1.7 shots per game as a rookie, and 1.5 this season. Jackson was historically great for Memphis, tallying a career-high three blocks per game in 2022-23, after averaging 2.3 the previous season.
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While advanced metrics are inadequate in measuring defensive impact, the numbers and eye test also says Wiseman has work to do. Opposing teams scored 8.2 more points per 100 possessions when Wiseman was on the floor, per Cleaning The Glass. It was one of the worst differentials in the league, ranking in the third percentile. As a point of comparison, opposing teams scored 1.4 fewer points per 100 possessions when Isaiah Stewart — Detroit’s best defensive big — was on the floor rather than off it, in the 63rd percentile.
Wiseman isn’t solely responsible for the poor defensive numbers, as he played the majority of his minutes without Stewart, who was shut down after 50 games due to a shoulder injury. Of Detroit’s late-season roster, only Isaiah Livers was consistent on defense. It’s tough to be a difference-maker there while deprived of other positive defenders. Even so, the Pistons will need Wiseman to make a defensive leap for their two-big lineups to work.
He’s also planning to hit the weight room. Detroit’s home loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 27 highlighted Wiseman’s need to fill out his frame to compete against other bigs. Brook Lopez, a Defensive Player of the Year finalist, made Wiseman uncomfortable in the first half.
“It’s really his strength, but he’s been in the league for 15 years so he knows the game,” Wiseman told the Free Press on March 30. “It was hard, like IQ-wise. His strength overpowered me, and I don’t want that to happen no more, you know? I’m most definitely going to be in the weight room heavy this summer.”
The NBA, as they say, is a grown man’s game. Wiseman is facing the strongest players in the league every night — big men like Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Wiseman must prove he can’t easily be pushed aside.
Now, second, the positives. Wiseman was efficient, making 70% of shots at the rim and 45% from short-midrange, per Cleaning The Glass. He took the vast majority of shots from those areas. He’s a matchup problem for many opposing bigs, and could be better next season with improved playmaking and skill around him. Wiseman didn’t have the luxury of playing with Cade Cunningham. Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks were shut down in early March.
Wiseman also had highlight defensive plays, and strong defensive stretches. As former coach Dwane Casey noted, his size makes him a deterrent at the rim. He occasionally caught opponents off guard with on-time rotations, and his wingspan gives him greater reach than almost everyone else on the floor.
After seven weeks, Wiseman did enough to convince the Pistons he’s a worthy investment. This offseason will be instrumental for him as he begins the next phase of his career.
“I feel like going into this transition, it was pretty tough,” Wiseman said of leaving the championship-aspiring Warriors to join the league-worst Pistons. “But I embraced everything because I love basketball and I love playing the game of basketball. This summer, I’m just dedicated to getting better in every aspect of my game that I possibly can, just being the best version of myself every day. I’m just working towards it everyday, just staying in the moment but also knowing that I’ve got to work every day.”
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Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @omarisankofa.