James Wiseman has plenty working in his favor as he tries to land a standard contract with the Knicks. New York needs another center.
Wiseman is a center. He already knows Mike Brown from their time together with the Golden State Warriors.
And to start training camp, he’s been playing well.
But the biggest thing helping his case may be simpler than all of that: he’s 25.
Before the Knicks settled on their preseason invite list, they apparently “told some potential free agents” they were looking “ for a big man on the younger side,” according to Ian Begley of SNY. Wiseman, with an Achilles injury behind him, doesn’t fit that description perfectly. Still, among the centers in camp, he comes closest to matching what New York said it wanted.
Drew Eubanks is 29 and will turn 30 before the trade deadline. Tony Bradley is 28 and will be 29 in early January. Wiseman won’t turn 26 until the end of March.
So unless the Knicks are planning to change course or add another body, they have one center in camp who at least carries some untapped upside.
That’s the bet here, and it’s exactly the kind of gamble a 14th roster spot is built for.
Eubanks or Bradley would be the safer play. Both are veterans who come with a known floor.
Wiseman is the opposite: the high-variance swing. The physical tools have always been there, even if the athletic pop doesn’t look quite the same after the Achilles tear.
His hands can be shaky. He’s not much of a playmaker.
Defense has lagged behind the frame, and he hasn’t consistently covered it up by piling up blocks.
But this is the 14th spot, not a rotation cornerstone. New York isn’t counting on that player unless things go badly, badly, badly wrong, or he forces the issue in practice and garbage-time minutes.
Around the team, the sense is already that Tyler Kolek and Mohamed Diawara may have a hard time getting regular run. If those two aren’t expected to see the floor much unless there’s an injury, there’s less reason to play it safe with the next signing.
Bradley and Eubanks are familiar territory. The Knicks know what they are, and neither one really projects to do much beyond trimming a little from Andre Drummond’s minutes.
Wiseman probably isn’t going to explode in New York, either. It didn’t happen in Golden State.
It didn’t happen in Detroit. It didn’t happen in Indiana.
Still, if you look at him through the right angle, there’s a case for more mobility, more versatility on defense and a better finish in pick-and-roll action than Drummond. Maybe that upside never turns into much. But the fact that it exists at all lines up with what the Knicks were said to want - and that’s exactly what the 14th roster spot is for.
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There is also the matter of how much room can be created if the Knicks want to do more than one addition before camp truly settles in. Final roster decisions could end up hinging on trades and what the coaching staff values most, which leaves the next move tied as much to fit as to availability. Pacme Dadiet has reportedly been shopped in that mix, a sign the Knicks are still trying to balance present need with a little extra roster flexibility. [Read more 🡒]