On Monday, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr opted to change the starting lineup with rookie James Wiseman moving to the bench and veteran Kevon Looney taking his place.
To that point, Wiseman had started each of the Warriors’ 16 games. However, Kerr wanted to make the change to give the Warriors a better opportunity to have quicker starts and to add another level of defensive intensity.
Kerr sat Wiseman down prior to the game to explain the change, but, most importantly, conveyed that the decision was not a demotion. The move to the bench was also made to help his development as Kerr believes it will create a positive change in his growth pattern moving forward.
Wiseman agreed and called it helpful for his development.
“I look at it as learning experience, and it’s nothing bad at all,” Wiseman said. “It’s just due to the fact they’re just trying to figure out the rotations and stuff. But everything is coming together. I’m most definitely learning over there more, so it’s really helpful for my development as a basketball player. As a person, I’m not really worried about that, because once I get in the game, I can impact it, so I just learn from my minutes as much as possible.”
On the bench, the second overall pick can pick up different schemes and plays teams run before checking into games. He can study how Looney and other players adjust to coverages and change his game accordingly once he enters.
Wiseman responded in his first game off the bench with 13 points, four rebounds and two blocked shots in 16 minutes during a 130-108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. His minutes were down some from his season average as a starter, but Kerr thought he was great off the bench.
“I thought James really did a good job of coming in with his minutes and providing energy and doing what he does in terms of scoring, rebounding, just finding ways to use his athleticism,” Kerr said.
The move for Wiseman could end up paying dividends, and that is precisely what could help his future growth and development with the Warriors.
The 19-year-old understood the change and appeared to handle it with professionalism, which certainly shows growth in itself and maturity on his part.
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