The Indiana Pacers' recent signing of James Wiseman has drawn some attention among basketball circles. To many, Wiseman has come off as a lost cause after his first four years in the league, during which he struggled to find a consistent role with inconsistent play for Golden State, followed up by having decent numbers on paper but being a rather poor contributor for a historically awful Detroit Pistons team. Needless to say, not many are confident in Wiseman's abilities.
But why, though? Doesn't it seem silly to give up on a 23-year-old big man who was the number two pick only four years ago and even shot 61% from the field this previous season while playing over 60 games and averaging 11 rebounds per 36 minutes? Shouldn't other teams have given him a chance? Well, there's more to the story than meets the eye. The question at hand is, the Indiana Pacers signed James Wiseman to play backup center minutes, so can he do that right off the bat and contribute at a high level?