The Indiana Pacers took a flier on James Wiseman last summer and even re-signed him earlier this offseason, even though he is coming off an Achilles injury. They are clearly big fans of his, and with Myles Turner no longer on the roster, they may give Wiseman a grand opportunity to shed his bust label and potentially become their next center of the future.
As it stands, it seems that Indiana will run a center-by-committee with Isaiah Jackson leading the way. There is a lot to like about Jackson. However, he does not have as much upside as Wiseman, who looked great during his limited run with the team last year. Additionally, if there is any team that can turn his career around, it is the Pacers.
The Pacers might be able to help James Wiseman shed his 'bust' label
He might never live up to his pre-draft hype, but Wiseman can still become a major contributor for the Pacers. The Nashville native has legitimate size as a seven-footer. Furthermore, while his rebounding skills are a bit underwhelming, he can still provide value on the boards. He is also incredibly athletic and can run in the Pacers' system.
Wiseman still leaves a lot to be desired on the floor, and it remains to be seen how he plays coming off his injury. However, the potential is still there, and he showed a lot of promise during preseason and in his season debut last year.
With next year expected to be a gap year for the Pacers, they will take this opportunity to rely on some of their younger guys and give them bigger roles. While this mostly applies to players like Bennedict Mathurin, Jarace Walker, and Johnny Furphy, Wiseman is another one of those players to keep an eye on. He is still only 24 years old, and some of the tools that made him such an intriguing prospect out of the draft never went away.
He is not going to be a one-for-one replacement for Turner, especially since they do not have similar playstyles. Even so, Wiseman's name should be called on a lot next season. If he makes the most out of this opportunity, then his future in the league will look bright once again. Wiseman is ultimately in a dream scenario in the right organization. If he can take advantage of that, he should be a long-time contributor in Indiana as they look to re-establish themselves as legitimate title contenders.
Wiseman might have one more season to shed his "bust" label, and he could not have asked for a better situation. The Pacers are known to find diamonds in the rough and turn castaways into legitimate role players. Whether Wiseman will be next on that list remains to be seen. Regardless, there are reasons to think the Pacers can work their magic once again, which will pay dividends for the long haul.