The Golden State Warriors have selected center James Wiseman with the second overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Golden State has two remaining picks (No. 48 and 51) in the second round of tonight’s draft.
Wiseman, 19, averaged 19.7 points on 76.9 percent from the field (20-of-26 FG), 10.7 rebounds, 3.00 blocks and 23.0 minutes in three games (all starts) during his lone season at the University of Memphis. The 7-1 center was on the 2019-20 preseason watch lists for the Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Lute Olson Award, NABC Player of the Year and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. Additionally, he was one of five players on the 2019-20 Associated Press Preseason All-America Team. As a senior at Memphis East High School, Wiseman was named the 2018-19 Gatorade National Player of the Year and Morgan Wootten Player of the Year and was ranked as the nation’s top recruit in 2019 by ESPN. Wiseman won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2017 FIBA U16 Americas Championship.
Wiseman joins Rick Barry (1965) as the only second overall draft picks in Warriors franchise history and represents the highest Warriors draft pick since Joe Smith was selected first overall in 1995. He is the team’s first Lottery pick since Harrison Barnes in 2012 (seventh overall) and first top five selection since Mike Dunleavy Jr. in 2002 (third overall).
