Klay Thompson’s back at Warriors practice — when will Wiseman return?
Golden State Warriors taking James Wiseman's return slowly even as Klay
Thompson returns to practice
>SAN FRANCISCO – APRIL 6: Golden State Warriors’ James Wiseman (33)
catches a pass for a dunk during the second quarter of his teams’ game
versus the Milwaukee Bucks at Chase Center in San Francisco on Tuesday,
April, 6, 2021. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO – APRIL 6: Golden State Warriors’ James Wiseman (33)
catches a pass for a dunk during the second quarter of his teams’ game
versus the Milwaukee Bucks at Chase Center in San Francisco on Tuesday,
April, 6, 2021. (Randy Vazquez/ Bay Area News Group)
By SHAYNA RUBIN | srubin@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: November 24, 2021 at 2:12 p.m. | UPDATED: November 24, 2021
at 5:45 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2021/11/24/klay-thompsons-back-at-warriors-practice-when-will-wiseman-return/

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors woke up Wednesday with the
NBA’s best record and even more sunshine on the horizon with Klay
Thompson fully participating in team practices for the first time in
more than two years.

Thompson could make his anticipated return to game action from ACL and
Achilles tears by Christmas Day. But what about second-year center James
Wiseman?

There has been no clear timeline for the 2020 second overall pick’s
return to full-team practices. Wiseman, 20, underwent meniscus surgery
on April 15, seven months ago and well within the six- to nine-month
timeline. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said on Tuesday that timeline
remains murky.

“The injury, the meniscus tear, is an injury where it’s not linear
improvement,” Kerr said. “An ACL or Achilles, you know you can map it
out. A meniscus tear, you can’t map it out because there is more
possibility for a variance on how long it will take to recover. James is
doing fine, there is no structural issue. We’re just being very cautious.”

In Wiseman’s case, caution may take precedent over urgency to play. The
Warriors are off to a 15-2 start, early frontrunners in a playoff race
that could see this team contend for a fourth title in seven years with
Steph Curry, Draymond Green and, soon, Thompson.

With starting center Kevon Looney regaining his rhythm, Nemanja Bjelica
adding a shooting component from his minutes at the five and Green as
the Warriors’ most impactful center, Wiseman isn’t necessarily needed on
the court right away. Given Wiseman’s struggles last season fitting into
the Warriors’ motion offense, he will need time on the court to develop,
but inserting him into the rotation could drag down Golden State’s
offense, as it did last season.

The injury, while negative for his development and surely painful,
provided temporary relief from that conundrum for the Warriors. But his
return — and a plan to go along with it — may be on the horizon.

On average, athletes return to play eight or nine months after surgery,
says UCSF assistant professor and Benioff Children’s Hospital director
of sports medicine Dr. Nirav Pandya.

The Warriors could keep taking it slow, with good reason.

“The longer you push out when someone comes back, the better,” he said.
“If the team is doing really good and you don’t need him, why not wait a
little longer to bring him back?”

The Warriors haven’t released details on the nature of Wiseman’s
meniscus tear, but he hasn’t been cleared for full contact despite
indications months ago that Wiseman would be practicing with Thompson.

“When he had the injury last season, we talked about him being ready for
camp,” Kerr said. “That’s obviously two months behind us and I didn’t
understand much about meniscus injury at the time. I said several times
last year, we’re hoping he’s back for camp or shortly thereafter. Now
that I’ve learned more about it, there are varying degrees of timeframes
on recovery for this kind of injury. He’s a massive guy with a lot of
weight coming down on that knee. We’re just being very cautious.”

But the final months of Wiseman’s recovery will rely mostly on how he
reacts and responds to the 1-on-1, 2-on-2 and drills he’s participating
in, Pandya said.

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“The tricky thing with meniscus surgery is each tear is different,” he
said. “It’s totally within reason to go a little bit slower. Early on
it’s very predictable. When you get into the last phase, it’s the least
predictable part of the recovery process.”

Wiseman’s 7-foot stature and play style — high stress on his knees — may
also factor into the longer timeline, said Pandya. Memphis Grizzlies
7-foot center Jaren Jackson Jr. returned to game action eight months
after his meniscus tear surgery last year.

Wiseman isn’t expected to usurp Looney’s role out of the gate and could
see limited minutes in the second unit upon his return, whenever that
may be. With the team off to a flying start and the precarious nature of
Wiseman’s injury, the Warriors likely aren’t itching to rush him back.

--
Author
Shayna Rubin | Oakland Athletics reporter