https://theathletic.com/news/james-wiseman-injury-update/5y1217dDYy

Warriors' James Wiseman close to full contact, could return to action in
Summer League: Sources

By Shams Charania and Anthony Slater

June 13, 2022
Updated 11:17 AM EDT

Warriors' James Wiseman close to full contact, could return to action in
Summer League: Sources. It’s been both sides’ goal for Wiseman to play
in Summer League. A final determination on Wiseman’s status is expected
to come in the next two weeks.

Warriors center James Wiseman was selected second in the 2020 NBA Draft,
but his early career has been stalled by a tricky knee injury. There is
light at the end of his proverbial recovery tunnel.

Wiseman underwent an orthobiologic injection during a multiday trip to
London with Warriors general manager Bob Myers in April, multiple
sources told The Athletic, as both sides worked to find a way to promote
healing in the knee. The plasma-rich injection in Wiseman’s arm was a
therapeutic treatment used to increase healing throughout the body.

A torn meniscus cut short Wiseman’s rookie season, and he had surgery to
repair it in April 2021 under the belief he would return in the middle
of the 2021-22 season. But persistent swelling led to multiple setbacks
and a December knee scope, eventually persuading the Warriors to shut
down Wiseman, and his decision to go the orthobiologic route.

Wiseman has gradually progressed in the couple months since. In recent
weeks, he has increased his court activity and is now sprinting for
pain-free stretches. Wiseman is nearing clearance for full-contact
workouts, and he and the Warriors are now optimistic he could return to
action during NBA Summer League in July, sources told The Athletic. It’s
been both sides’ goal for Wiseman to play in Summer League. A final
determination on Wiseman’s status is expected to come in the next two
weeks, sources said.

Warriors rookies Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody — the Nos. 7 and 14
picks in the 2021 NBA Draft — are both set to participate in at least a
portion of Summer League as well, sources said.

The Warriors will host the California Classic on July 2 and 3 at Chase
Center, facing the Summer League Kings and Lakers, before heading to Las
Vegas for the larger league-wide event. Wiseman’s potential inclusion
will be the Warriors’ most substantial storyline.

Despite his lack of availability and experience — he has played 39 games
for the Warriors after only three in college at Memphis — Wiseman
remains a key figure in the franchise’s plans moving forward. He will be
entering his third season and is expected to have his fourth-year option
picked up.

But everything moves rapidly in the NBA. Wiseman will be
extension-eligible next summer, and the Warriors are less than a month
away from free agency, where they will attempt to reinforce what’s
proven to be a championship-worthy roster. Every data point allows for
cleaner decision-making, and Wiseman hasn’t provided many data points.

Kevon Looney is an unrestricted free agent who has played his way into a
bigger payday, appearing in all 102 games this season and leading the
entire playoffs in offensive rebounds. There was an expectation, by this
point in Wiseman’s growth curve, that he’d be ready to take over the
starting center spot for the Warriors.

But that’s become too shaky of a bet for a team that will still employ
Steph Curry and harbor championship expectations again next season. The
retention of Looney has become increasingly imperative, maintaining a
veteran presence above Wiseman on the depth chart as he attempts to get
his career off the ground.

This next month is crucial for Wiseman’s reset. He returned to contact
in March and even played a few G League games, nearing an NBA return
before that swelling again shut him down and triggered the decision to
seek the orthobiologic treatment. He’s feeling well and nearing contact
again. His healthy inclusion in Summer League is the next big hurdle.