James Wiseman was "in tears" when he learned his rookie season with the Warriors was going to be cut short due to a right meniscus injury that required surgery.
Being sidelined, however, allowed Wiseman to spend more time with Klay Thompson, who was working his way back from an Achilles tear suffered in November, and the Warriors star took that time to watch games with the young center to help him improve.
"I've been bonding with Klay a lot," Wiseman said Monday at Warriors Media Day. "We've been going through a lot of games especially when the playoffs was on, we was watching it together and he was just telling me stuff that I can do to become a better center in terms of my role. Yeah, we've been talking a lot."
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Of course, that "bonding" also included Wiseman spending time on Thompson's boat as the "deckhand."
"It was fun, he be teaching me the ways," Wiseman said of being on Thompson's boat. "So one day if I get my boat I'll learn how to drive it, so he taught me a lot of stuff like that. We was talking, we was vibing and having a great time and I enjoyed myself. And I was also his deckhand, so I was doing all that stuff man. It was crazy."
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Wiseman, who is only doing individual drills at the moment, said he is about 50 to 60 percent and is just taking his rehab day-to-day. Thompson, who has missed the last two full seasons, said he hopes to return to the court in late November, and head coach Steve Kerr promised that Thompson's first game back would be a home game.
Golden State Warriors
Wiseman and Thompson are two key pieces for the Warriors. Golden State struggled spacing the floor, protecting the rim and rebounding last season. The Warriors' offseason additions of Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica and Andre Iguodala don't do a lot to fix those issues, so a lot will be put on Wiseman and Thompson to return healthy and be at their best.
The Warriors need them if they want to reach their ceiling this season.