Charlotte Hornets: Pros and Cons of getting James Wiseman-NBA Draft

Cons of the Charlotte Hornets drafting James Wiseman in the NBA Draft

Wiseman does not have the experience.

Wiseman was only able to play due to a major recruiting violation by Memphis head coach(and NBA legend) Penny Hardaway. Hardaway paid roughly 11 thousand dollars to move Wiseman and his family to Memphis so that he’ll attend school there. Wiseman was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for the rest of the season, shortly after Wiseman declared for the NBA Draft.

Wiseman is a risk at the number three position, with so little college basketball experience, it may be the wrong move to draft the Memphis recruit. Wiseman played three games and only one was against a Power-Five school(Oregon Ducks). Wiseman absolutely dominated South Carolina State and the University of Illinois-Chicago but just played decent against Oregon. Against the Ducks, Wiseman earned a low-scoring double-double, with 14 points and 12 boards. Wiseman doesn’t have enough college experience for me to be sold.

Wiseman is also semi-injury prone. Wiseman suffered a should injury, which prevented him from participating in Memphis’ preseason games, and sustained an ankle injury not long after. Wiseman may be athletic and strong but he clearly has health issues, which is a major concern to consider for any organization.

Finally, it’s a huge concern that Wiseman only attempted one three-pointer in college. In a league where the three-point line is so essential, it’s challenging to have a centerpiece that doesn’t shoot from behind the arc. Wiseman’s lack of shots from the perimeter shows a lack of confidence in his long-range shot. For Wiseman to be effective at any point in his career, he has to learn to stretch the floor and his lack of three’s in college should be concerning for any team that isn’t perfect behind the arc(healthy Golden State).