Steve Kerr reveals that Warriors rookie James Wiseman will play Thursday vs. the Los Angeles Clippers, and why he’s starting Kevon Looney in the contest.
Warriors rookie James Wiseman didn't play in the first three quarters of Thursday's 130-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State's first game after the All-Star break and Wiseman's first since missing a mandatory coronavirus test during the hiatus.
Wiseman played all 12 minutes in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points and adding seven rebounds.
The NBA cleared Wiseman to play Thursday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters in a pregame video conference, but Kevon Looney started in his place at center. Wiseman started Golden State's final game before the break, and Kerr said at the time that the 19-year-old would play more during the second half of the season.
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Kerr said prior to Thursday's game that Wiseman's development must be more "comprehensive" than playing more in games.
"As we look big pcuture, over the course of the second half of the season, we would definitely like to play James more," Kerr said. "But development to me really is a comprehensive thing, so a big part of the second half of the season is also what we're going to be doing in practice. We'd like to get more live action in practice, but this doesn't just come down to 'Alright, we gotta play James more minutes.'
"It's really about the comprehensive development of a young guy who is brand new to the league and whatever we can do to advance him so that he can catch up to his talent as quickly as possible, we're going to do. But we're also well aware that you can't just wave a magic wand. There's a lot of work involved and we're going to work with him and help him grow. And it's an exciting process."
Kerr's latest comments about Wiseman's development occurred a day after expressing disappointment in Wiseman's "mistake" missing a test during the break. Wiseman "could've used the practice" and the Warriors "needed him out there," Kerr said following Wednesday's practice.
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The Warriors trailed 59-43 after the first half Thursday. Golden State was down just two after the first quarter, but its second unit was outscored 20-9 over the first 7:11 of the second quarter.
Wiseman and Damion Lee both played in the second half after not playing a minute in the first. Brad Wanamaker and Mychal Mulder were the only Warriors who didn't play at all Thursday.