Former Warriors top pick suffers devastating injury opening night

James “Big Jim” Wiseman continued a career full of bad luck when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in his debut with the Indiana Pacers

James Wiseman never had a chance.

Wiseman, the Golden State Warriors’ No. 2 overall pick in 20202, was ready for a fresh start with the Indiana Pacers this season. After struggling to stay healthy with the Warriors for two years, Wiseman was traded to the Detroit Pistons, where he fought for playing time on a terrible team with no spacing and a glut of centers. After a strong preseason where he shot over 70%, Wiseman seemed poised to seize the Indiana Pacers’ backup center job.

And then Wiseman’s body betrayed him again.

After five minutes of game action, where he scored six points, it appears that Wiseman’s season is already over, after he suffered a torn left Achilles tendon. It was a non-contact injury on a play where nothing special happened: Wiseman missed a three, took two steps backward, then reacted like something hit him in the back of the leg.

Just like that, Wiseman is looking at another lost season. During Wiseman’s rookie season, he tore his menicus in April 2021, an injury that kept him out of NBA games for 18 months, including the entirety of the Warriors’ 2022 title run. That was only the last of a series of setbacks that included getting Covid during training camp and missing three weeks due to a sprained left wrist.

Golden State traded Wiseman to the Pistons at the trade deadline in 2023, in a deal that brought back Gary Payton II and got Wiseman’s salary of their books for 2023-24. By all accounts, the Warriors liked Wiseman’s work ethic and personality, but he never really got a chance to develop on a team whose priority was competing for titles, not bringing along their raw 7-foot-3 center. Then, when Wiseman did go to a rebuilding team in Detroit, he had to fight for playing time with young centers Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart.

Wiseman played just three games in college thanks to a draconian NCAA suspension — he received $11,500 in moving expenses during high school, something that seems quaint in the NIL era. But playing three games in college, 39 games his rookie year, and zero in his sophomore season didn’t help him become an NBA player. Even when, by all accounts, Wiseman did the right things during his long recovery, including going to therapy and rehabbing with Klay Thompson, it was an uphill battle.

Now that uphill battle got steeper, just when it looked like Wiseman might thrive coming off the bench in Indiana’s fast-paced offense. Someday, we might see the James Wiseman whose tantalizing potential wowed the Warriors before the 2020 draft. But it won’t come until 2024-25, if ever.