As Klay Thompson’s return has come and gone, the people are now wondering: What’s going on with the Warriors‘ 2020 No. 2 overall draft pick James Wiseman, who had surgery on his meniscus last April but still, almost 10 months later, hasn’t even been cleared for full contact in practice?
Turns out, Wiseman had to have a second surgery, which the Warriors didn’t disclose until now.
From Anthony Slater of The Athletic:
Because of some minor-yet-persistent swelling, Wiseman needed a scope and cleanup in mid-December, flushing out some loose bodies, sources confirm, which slowed his anticipated comeback.
It’s strange that the Warriors kept this under wraps for a month. Credit to Slater for persisting with the questioning. Not that it’s a huge deal, Wiseman having to go in for this cleanup procedure. Slater points out the similar case of Russell Westbrook.
This isn’t an uncommon setback for a player returning from a meniscus repair. Back in 2013, after tearing and repairing his meniscus during the playoffs in April, Russell Westbrook seemed to be ready for October training camp. But a loose stitch in his knee had led to persistent swelling, even though the meniscus had been repaired properly. He needed an arthroscopic cleanup procedure, returning in November. In late December, he needed another one and returned in February, finishing the rest of the season strong.
Slater reports that Wiseman’s recovery is moving in the right direction, and he’s expected to be cleared for 3-on-3 work soon and eventually 5-on-5 work in the weeks ahead.
But that’s nearing the trade deadline and the All-Star break, and it begs the question just how much impact Wiseman can be expected to have on this season. The Warriors have not looked as good of late, and Wiseman, though he wasn’t very good in his rookie season, was supposed to provide at least a small spark. We’ll see if that ends up being the case.
