It's been an up-and-down season for Warriors rookie center James Wiseman. The 19-year-old 7-footer has shown flashes of tremendous potential but has lacked the consistency Golden State hoped to see from the No. 2 overall pick during his first season.
But Steve Kerr still believes the young center has an incredibly high ceiling and knows it will take time for Wiseman to reach his potential.
"I am thrilled with James [Wiseman] and his development. He's going to be amazing," Kerr told 95.7 The Game Thursday. "I'm not frustrated at all. We all just have to be patient."
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Kerr has preached patience with Wiseman from Day 1. Before the season tipped off the Warriors coach encouraged fans to view Wiseman as the college version of David Robinson and not the Hall of Fame center he grew into.
So far this season, Wiseman is averaging 11.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 20.8 minutes per game. The rookie's per 36 numbers -- 20.4, 10.3 and 1.7 -- illustrate the dominant player Wiseman could one day transform into.
The bigger issue for the Warriors is that the pairing of Steph Curry and Wiseman isn't working at the moment. The Warriors have an offensive rating of 102.9 when Curry is on the court with Wiseman. That number jumps to 117.0 when it's Curry with anyone else.
Wiseman has a ton of talent, but he's raw, isn't a polished passer and sometimes has issues catching the ball in traffic. It's tough to make that combination work with Curry who tends to operate at peak efficiency with a good passing big man with soft hands.
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While there reportedly is "organizational tension" within the Warriors around Wiseman's role, some of the issues stem from how Kerr deploys the 19-year-old and his inability or refusal to alter his system to put Wiseman in the best place to succeed during his rookie season.
The Warriors' plan to build for the future and contend at the same time always was going to be a tight rope to walk. Kerr still believes Wiseman can be a generational talent for Golden State, but it's going to take time for the young center to reach his lofty ceiling. Time the Warriors might not have if they want to maximize the remaining years of Curry's prime.