The San Antonio Spurs lottery watch continues this week with one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2020 draft class. Memphis freshman center James Wiseman has the potential to be the best player in the upcoming draft class with his size, feel for the game and smarts. The 7-foot-1, 240-pound southpaw has gotten comparisons to Chris Bosh, Kevin Garnett and even David Robinson (that has to be good, right?). He’s a fluid athlete who has a nice post up game and can shoot the ball a bit too.
*Disclaimer: This is a prospect watch for a guy who would only fall to the Spurs if something disastrous happened with their season or if a major trade was made to move up for him so please keep that in mind.*
Wiseman is a superb and fairly advanced post player for his age. His lefty hook shot is nigh unstoppable and he shows a great feel for the game. He is a bit inexperienced and it shows at times, but often than not he makes good passes out of double teams and finds open teammates.
He always tries to finish strong when he’s close enough to the rim and is an explosive dunker to boot. He runs the floor exceptionally well for someone his size and makes every alley-oop look easy to finish.
The current Tiger also has shown that he can be a consistent mid-range shooter with potential to step out and hit threes down the road. His shooting stroke is pretty smooth and would need little to no tweaking to make it a consistent, easily repeatable motion.
He also knows how to use his body to get to his spots so he can get those easy mid-range or post shots. He’s definitely ahead of the game in that respect compared to other prospects.
While Wiseman’s offense is fun to watch and break down, his defense might be even better. He alters and blocks shots seemingly at will with his long arms — he has a plus wingspan at his height — and there is no question about his motor at all. One thing he does nicely around the rim is keep the ball in bounds after he blocks it, giving his team a fast break opportunity and not just a reset on defense.
He moves his feet well enough to stay with guards for a short while on the perimeter, but will have to work on some footwork and timing at the collegiate level to become an even better defender.
