Path to the draft: James Wiseman could be just what the Warriors need

Near the top of an uncertain draft class, in the middle of an unprecedented NBA offseason, perhaps no prospect defines the times quite like James Wiseman.

LaMelo Ball may be an unknown commodity in his own right, but he's also been a visible celebrity since he was 15 years old, and has a professional body of work - albeit a limited one - to draw evaluations from. Since graduating from Memphis' East High in the spring of 2019, Wiseman has played three competitive games over the last year and a half.

The postponed NBA draft and a subsequently delayed 2020-21 season isn't the first time Wiseman's basketball journey has been paused, though.

He transferred to East High in 2017 to play for coach Penny Hardaway after representing Team Penny on Nike's EYBL circuit. However, his prior association with Hardaway broke Tennessee high school transfer rules. He was ultimately cleared to play a month later and led East High to a state championship as a junior and another finals appearance as a senior. After Wiseman won Gatorade National Player of the Year honors, the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association retroactively reversed its 2017 decision and again ruled Wiseman ineligible.

When Wiseman, now the No. 1-ranked college recruit, followed Hardaway to the University of Memphis in 2019, the NCAA ruled him ineligible and suspended him for 12 games. The association deemed Hardaway had acted as a booster after paying $11,500 in moving expenses for the Wiseman family's 2017 relocation to Memphis.

Between those NCAA decisions and preseason injuries to his shoulder and ankle, Wiseman suited up for just three games as a Tiger before hiring an agent and declaring for the 2020 draft.

Nearly a year later, scouts and pundits are left with almost nothing to evaluate a player considered to be a consensus top-three pick.

Wiseman also didn't participate in this year's draft combine. If scouts need a glimpse of the 19-year-old in action these days, their best bet is probably following David Alexander on Instagram:

Alexander, the Miami-based trainer who has worked with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Victor Oladipo - to name a few of his high-profile clients - has been working with Wiseman for about five months.

"He's one of my favourite people I've ever trained," Alexander told theScore in a glowing review. "He was always 20 minutes early, wanted to stay 20 minutes longer, and asked questions. Usually young athletes just want to get out and hoop. He wants to understand how his body works. It's actually the first time in my career that I've experienced an athlete in that age group with that kind of mentality and professionalism."

Alexander worked on Wiseman's first-step mechanics, jumping mechanics, posture, and found a surprisingly willing student when it comes to nutrition.

"I remember when he first started coming to me, the first day he walked in, I asked him what he ate for breakfast and he said a bowl of cereal. That was the last bowl of cereal he ever had. We designed a strong nutrition plan for him, and now the kid literally will not put any processed foods or refined sugars in his body. I'll tell him he can have a cheat day, and he'll say 'Well I'm just gonna have a turkey burger, no bun.'

"I'm being honest when I say I've never seen a 19-year-old with that approach to his body off the court."

While scouts will hope Wiseman's physical transformation translates to more strength inside and on the glass, the truth is his body is not where the questions lie.

At 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, Wiseman possesses unquestionable NBA size - which he pairs with impressive mobility for a center.

He finishes efficiently inside and on the roll and has shown some ability to put the ball on the floor and create. On the defensive end, Wiseman has elite rim-protecting upside and the physical tools to hold his own when switched on to smaller, perimeter players.

Had his time at Memphis been more extensive, it's fair to wonder whether there would be any question about who the top pick would be in an underwhelming draft class. In three games as a Tiger, Wiseman averaged 19.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, and three blocks on 76.9% shooting in only 23 minutes per game. To be transparent, Oregon, South Carolina State, and the University of Illinois-Chicago isn't exactly a murderer's row of competition.

Meanwhile, Wiseman's lack of shooting range and what some draft experts deemed an undisciplined shot selection doesn't bode well for the modern game, though his improved free-throw shooting (19-of-27 at Memphis) and mechanics seem like a solid starting point for a seven-footer still so early in his skill development.

The 2020 draft class may not boast an NBA-ready franchise savior, and Wiseman, like Ball, personifies a class that faces more questions than the usual crop of prospects. Having said that, it's tough to find a draftee who matches a specific team the way Wiseman theoretically fits with the Warriors, the franchise with the No. 2 pick.

Unlike the perennial losers around them at the top end of the draft, the Warriors don't need Wednesday's proceedings to produce a cornerstone star - at least not yet. Steph Curry is under contract for two more seasons, at which point he'll be 34 years old; Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are on deals that run through 2024, when they'll also be 34.

What Golden State could use is a young and talented center, and while it's always wise to select the best player available as opposed to drafting to fill an immediate need, Wiseman could check both boxes.

Rookies rarely provide positive value, especially on the defensive end, but how often do rookies with Wiseman's combination of size and skill join teams where they're the fourth option on offense and at best, the fifth-best player overall?

If he brings the same work ethic to San Francisco that Alexander saw in Miami, the Warriors can expand Wiseman's offensive repertoire over time. In the short term, he already offers more offensive punch than the solid yet unspectacular Kevon Looney; the day he steps on the court, Wiseman might already be the best screen-and-roll target Curry and Green have played with in The Bay.

In an environment where he's asked to screen, roll, use his size in the paint and on the glass, and protect the rim, it's not hard to envision Wiseman as the highest upside role player in the Association next season.

The Warriors can pair Eric Paschall with Green in smaller, more defensively versatile frontcourts if need be. Looney can fill his fair share of minutes at center. There could still be 20 minutes or so a night for Wiseman to cut his teeth while Golden State gets him up to speed for the spring and summer, which will once again be what the healthy Warriors are gearing up for.

Given the bounty of offensive talent and small-ball defensive chops already on the roster, Wiseman simply playing up to his size on both ends could make the Warriors matchup proof.

Alexander wouldn't comment or speculate on potential landing spots, but he did paint the picture of a mature player who'll be just as comfortable around veterans and established stars as he would be around fellow youngsters.

"I work with a lot of pros, and it didn't matter who was in (the gym), James makes eye contact, shakes hands, and brings a positive energy," Alexander said. "Usually with young athletes, they're either arrogant or closed off. He's the complete opposite. He's got a lot of charisma, but he conducts himself and carries himself like a real pro."

Players such as Ball and Georgia's Anthony Edwards offer more shot creation and should be more prolific rookies from a statistical standpoint, but both players need the ball in their hands to impact the game, which likely doesn't mesh on a team with Curry, Thompson, Green, and Andrew Wiggins.

Of the three most tantalizing prospects available Wednesday night, Wiseman is the one who can impact both ends of the court without needing to dominate the ball, giving him the higher floor as a Warrior.

In that sense, Wiseman could prove to be the rare type of talent capable of extending a bonafide contender's window in the present while serving as its bridge to the future.

Joseph Casciaro is theScore's senior basketball writer