When Golden State Warriors president Bob Myers said the team has no plans of trading rookie James Wiseman, that statement gave the second overall pick some confidence moving forward.
On May 24, Myers told reporters that he expects Wiseman to be on the roster next season. The organization believes Wiseman can play an integral role in the rotation and help them win given his skill set and ability, despite an up and down rookie campaign.
“He was put in a position where the guy has, hopefully, taken all of his lumps early in his career,” Myers said. “I think he can be very helpful to us in the future, and I think he can be helpful in the present. We plan on him being on the team. We are very confident he is going to be a good player and help us win next year.”
Wiseman addressed those comments made by Myers with Marc Spears of The Undefeated in the second installment of his rookie diary. He explained that the statement has given him even more confidence, something that will only drive him even more.
“When Bob clarified to the news reporters that he wasn’t going to trade me, it gave me a lot of confidence within myself,” Wiseman said. “It’s just the fact that I’ve had confidence in myself that I know I’m capable of. The crazy thing about that is and they had to tell me about that because it drives me. It fuels me to keep going and just work even harder.”
[mm-video type=video id=01f68w4b5dm1mgk705ch playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f68w4b5dm1mgk705ch/01f68w4b5dm1mgk705ch-1754ad7e56b60282618426fb11c3d46f.jpg]
The up and down season by Wiseman, who was in and out of the lineup with multiple injuries, created some speculation that the Warriors could trade him and acquire additional help. According to a recent report, the team would only trade him if it meant adding an All-Star-type of player.
The Warriors would likely only part ways with Wiseman if they were to be presented an offer they cannot refuse, but it appears as though they are comfortable with him sticking around. That alone hould be a big boost of confidence for Wiseman.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
[lawrence-related id=30610,26700,25468]
[listicle id=32728]