Wiseman’s window is next year

My guess is that the Warriors will win roughly half of these games and lose half because if Golden State has shown anything this season it’s that it is a .500 team.

And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Yes, Steph Curry is playing at MVP level. Yes, Draymond Green, for all his emotional foibles, is one of the best all-around players in the NBA.

But the biggest question surrounding the Warriors is rookie James Wiseman. As other rookies around the league are putting up huge numbers — LaMelo Ball is the likely rookie of the year — some are wondering if Golden State made a mistake in drafting a 19-year-old who had only three games of college experience.

To those fans, relax. Wiseman wasn’t going to be the missing piece to lead the Warriors back to the title this year, not when the news came out that Klay Thompson tore his Achilles literally minutes before the NBA draft. Once Thompson went down, the Warriors went from a team with possible championship aspirations to one that will grind for a playoff spot.

Wiseman and Golden State are in a unique situation. It’s not often a team as good as the Warriors get the opportunity to draft a prospect like Wiseman. The 20-year-old rookie has shone flashes that he has the chance to be a star in the league. But he has also shown the game of a 20-year-old who hasn’t played in college — or the NBA summer league or barely any preseason games.

Ball is flourishing with the Charlotte Hornets because he dropped out of high school several years ago and has been playing professionally, spending the last two seasons in Australia. He is a rookie in the NBA, but he is not a first-year pro player.

The Warriors also have to balance the development of Wiseman against the desire to make the playoffs. They can’t do both. Not in the Western Conference.

The simple fact of the matter is, the chances of the Warriors winning another championship this season are extremely slim. The key to contending this year was Thompson — not Wiseman. With Thompson out, aspirations went from playing for a championship to simply making the playoffs. Wiseman was not going to change that.

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While the Warriors are battling for a playoff spot, the San Jose Sharks simply can’t seem to gain any traction as they wallow in the basement of the NHL’s Western Division.

Some of the changes the league made to the divisions and schedules because of the pandemic have added to the Sharks’ struggles — they were put into one of the strongest division in hockey.

But it certainly goes further than that. Removing the “interim” tag from head coach Bob Boughner certainly hasn’t paid off in a lot of wins and the leaky goaltending tandem of Martin Jones and Devan Dubnyk leaves a lot to be desired.

It makes me wonder if San Jose’s management team is simply riding out this season and will tear it down next year. Because the way things are going right now doesn’t instill a lot of faith in Sharks fans.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 650-344-5200 ext. 117. Results and statistics can be emailed to: sports@smdailyjournal.com.