Take a deep breath. Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the island of misfit toys from the 2020 draft, remains at full strength. For a moment, it looked our collection of pandemic draft picks had diminished after Jalen Smith signed with the Chicago Bulls. But thankfully, Kevin Pritchard & Co. swooped in, wasting no time in brining James Wiseman into the fold.

Wiseman is no ordinary 2020 draft pick. He was the 2nd overall selection. He is THE reclamation project of all reclamation projects from that once maligned, but now esteemed draft.

Though he'll be billed as Jalen Smith's replacement – and certainly he is the new third string center – their games are not exactly apples to apples. Wiseman will not bring the floor spacing that Smith did for much of the year. And while Smith was not the world's best defender, there's reason to believe that Wiseman might be worse.

Nevertheless, there's plenty of reason to think that Wiseman could flourish here in a way that was simply impossible at his previous stops in Golden State and Detroit. For one, Golden State was in the middle of a title run when they drafted Wiseman. They were not looking to slowly develop a young big man. Moreover, for as great as Steph Curry is, that offense is not built around hitting bigs in the paint. And Detroit – well take a look at the lack of shooters on that roster and imagine how much space Wiseman had on his rolls.

In Indy, he'll have three of the best playmaking point guards he's ever played with in Haliburton, Nembhard, and McConnell. The offense will be fast paced and his ability to sprint the floor (one of the biggest reasons he was drafted as high as he was) will be put on full display. Big men often take a while to develop, so I love the potential of this move.

Summer League

My biggest takeaway from the Summer League roster is that Isaiah Wong is not on it. That should clear one of the Two-Way spots for Tristen Newton or Enrique Freeman.

I suppose I shouldn't be but I'm a little surprised Kendall Brown is on the team. That's probably an indication that while he has a contract, he's doesn't have security and is playing for his job at all times.

While we didn't have a first round pick, this team has some talent and should win a few games before they shut down the big names.

Tagged in:

FA