The Warriors still don’t know how long James Wiseman will be out, but they should have a better timeline in the coming days.
Coach Steve Kerr confirmed Wednesday that the Warriors’ rookie center will undergo a procedure on his right knee Thursday.
“He’s in LA and will have surgery tomorrow and we won’t know the extent of what we’re looking at until after the surgery,” Kerr told reporters on a video conference call 90 minutes before tipoff of the Warriors’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Wiseman suffered a meniscus tear in his right knee in the Warriors’ win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday.
The Athletic’s Anthony Slater first reported Wednesday that Wiseman would undergo knee surgery Thursday or Friday.
It hasn’t been the smoothest first NBA season for Wiseman, and this injury is the latest obstacle.
“He puts on a brave face, and obviously we saw him yesterday at practice and had a chance to visit with him,” Kerr said. “He’s in relatively good spirits, but he’s putting on a brave face for sure. He’s a young guy and this isn’t supposed to happen so early in someone’s career, so it’s a tough time for sure. Fingers are crossed and we’ll see how things go tomorrow.”
The Warriors have high hopes for the 2020 No. 2 overall draft pick, and he showed flashes of his potential this season. But he also has made plenty of rookie mistakes.
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In 39 games, the 20-year-old averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game.
With 18 games remaining on the schedule, including Wednesday’s game in OKC, the Warriors soon should have an idea if Wiseman can add to those stats before the playoffs begin.
