Announced! The NBA second overall pick has joined! Hello, USA Basketball!

The USA Basketball team revealed the roster for the World Cup qualifying games as follows:

Malcolm Hill, Trevion Jones, Taevion Kinsey, Brandon Knight, Dakota Mathias, Elfrid Payton, Robinson Earl, David Roddy, Trey Taylor, Jeremiah Tilmon, and James Wiseman.

...

Huh? This?

They all seem rather unknown.

No, no, no.

Wiseman is somewhat familiar, after all, he was once the Warriors’ prized prospect.

This guy is currently unemployed, which is why he has time to join USA Basketball for the World Cup qualifiers.

Born on March 31, 2001, Wiseman is only 24 years old, was the 2020 second overall pick, a big center standing 2.11 meters tall with a 2.26-meter wingspan. So far, his only NBA accolade is winning the championship with the Warriors in the 2021-22 season despite being sidelined due to injury.

The Warriors once truly saw Wiseman as their future cornerstone and invested countless efforts and time in him, but unfortunately, he wasn’t the right fit. He was traded to the Pistons in early 2023, marking the end of two and a half seasons of development failure.

After leaving the Warriors, Wiseman had some standout moments, such as in the latter half of the 2022-23 season with the Pistons, where he started 22 of 24 games, averaging 25.2 minutes, 12.7 points, and 8.1 rebounds per game. However, it was just a brief highlight.

Given Wiseman’s age and physical gifts, he shouldn’t have been cut from the NBA so quickly. The problem was the devastating left Achilles tendon tear he suffered in the 2024-25 season opener, which is a career-threatening injury for fringe players who don’t get the same patience teams afford stars.

Perhaps one day, realizing a return to the NBA is unlikely, Wiseman will take his talent to the CBA or other overseas leagues to continue his professional career, even though his total earnings have already reached around $50 million.

Wiseman is definitely a talented player, but the NBA is full of talents, and every year many new prospects arrive.

“Survival of the fittest, the law of the jungle, ruthless and unforgiving.”