Japan Warriors: James Wiseman shines and more preseason opener observations

SAITAMA, Japan — The Warriors had just three training camp sessions before flying over the Pacific Ocean for 10 hours. Their preseason opener is on, and their circadian clock still tells them it’s 3 a.m. It was a lucrative trip to Japan, with travel perks, but didn’t foster the ideal development environment early in the NBA calendar.

In response, the Warriors chose to rest Klay Thompson out of an abundance of caution, then watched Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins go 3-for-24 in the first half against the Wizards. Still, there are some remaining storylines that have some meaning — from the roster performance to the responsive, friendly Japanese audience.

Let’s start with the pitch.

1. The comeback of James Wiseman

For at least the first month, Steve Kerr will be switching between various lineup combinations to figure out how best to mix and match outside of his established starter. In the preseason opener, that means the Curry/Moody Moody/Jonathan Cuminga/Draymond Green/James Wiseman group will open in the second quarter, bringing the last three players together The draft pick is paired with two team legends.

Green and Curry both found Wiseman at the rim in their opening minutes together.



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