Watch: In 2nd game off the bench, James Wiseman leads Warriors in scoring during win vs. Wolves

So as it turns out, James Wisman can indeed develop his game as a non-starter.

In his second contest coming off the bench after starting all of the Warriors’ previous games, the rookie center lead the team in scoring, totaling 25 points, a career high, on 9-of-14 shooting, in Golden State’s 123-111 win over the Timberwolves on Wednesday. He added six rebounds and two blocked shots as the Warriors’ record moved to 10-8

I couldn’t believe when some in the media, most notably ESPN’s Warriors writer, suggested that Wiseman’s development would be stunted by his new bench role. Golden State coach Steve Kerr said that development can happen in many places, not just the starting lineup, and Wiseman agreed.

Well, as I mentioned, they were right. Here are Wiseman’s highlights from Wednesday night, courtesy of the Warriors’ Twitter account.

Okay the full highlights are below, but make sure to catch the play of the night, courtesy of Anthony Slater, when a Wiseman block turned into an athletic dunk on a pass from Draymond Green.

Draymond Green actively searches for James Wiseman way more than any other teammate. Perfect lookahead find here to complete the Wiseman block/dunk sequence. pic.twitter.com/vKacJY3pG2

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 28, 2021

And here’s the full highlight package.

25 PTS
9-14 FG
6 REB
2 BLK

James Wiseman balled out on #WarriorsGround pic.twitter.com/FTS0yeifSs

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 28, 2021

Wiseman looks incredible, especially considering his inexperience at just 19 years of age. He hasn’t fared well in some match-ups, such as against the Clippers and the Nuggets, but his promise is exceptional. As are the results on many occasions, as one can plainly see from the highlights.

This was also a big game for the rookie considering the first overall pick, Anthony Edwards, also scored 25. He and Wiseman, the No. 2 pick, will no doubt keep up on each others’ career. So far, it’s advantage Wiseman, with the Warriors sweeping the 2-game, baseball-style series. Next up for Golden State are the Suns in Phoenix on Thursday night.

BONUS INFO: Perhaps Wiseman played better because the Wolves passed on him in the draft? It made him feel some type of way, per Drew Shiller of NBC.

Did it mean more to James Wiseman having a huge game tonight against the T-Wolves — the team that could have drafted him No. 1 overall? Wiseman: "Yeah, you could say that."

— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) January 28, 2021

And to fully hammer the point home, here’s Wiseman talking about how much he’s learning from his new vantage point, per Brady Klopker of SB Nation.

James Wiseman says coming off the bench has helped him because he gets to start by watching Kevon Looney: "I'm more effective, because I'm just studying Loon."

— Brady Klopfer (@BradyKlopferNBA) January 28, 2021

(Photo credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)