SAITAMA, Japan -- James Wiseman is back.
The former No. 2 overall draft pick hammered five dunks in his first game since April 10, 2021, on Friday in Japan, leading the Warriors in scoring with 20 points during the team's 96-87 win over the Washington Wizards in their first preseason game of the 2022-23 NBA season.
Wiseman admitted he had some butterflies stepping on the court for the first game in his NBA career with fans.
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"I just went out there and played my game. I wasn't trying to do something that was outside my boundaries. Just keep the game simple and be myself," Wiseman said.
Prior to his right meniscus injury that lingered into last season, the 39 games Wiseman played as a rookie during the Warriors’ 2020-21 campaign came during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic with virtual fans.
Two years later, the NBA scene looks a lot different -- and Wiseman put on a show for the crowd on Friday.
He had a dunk in every quarter, plus an extra two-handed slam in the third that Kristaps Porziņģis tried to block at the rim. Wiseman gave Porziņģis a quick stare as the crowd cheered.
Wiseman finished 8-for-11 shooting from the field, with nine rebounds and a block in 24 minutes.
Warriors rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr. said the world is ready to see what Wiseman's teammates have faced behind closed doors in training camp.
Golden State Warriors
"Seeing what he does in practice, I'm kind of used to it," Baldwin told NBC Sports Bay Area after the win. "But when you watch him in games, the things he does are so special. He's a legit 7-foot-1, 7-foot-2, seven-five wingspan.
“You just can't teach that body that athleticism. When he does crazy stuff like this in a game? It's really a sight."