Originally Posted by
Pelicanidae
He's got the physical profile of a good player. Like if you just looked at his height, weight, wingspan on an anthropometrics chart, you would think ''wow, this guy's gonna be dominant.''
Unfortunately, he just has no idea what he's doing. He's a horrible decision maker, and has yet to show any actual standout skills, while simultaneously showing lots of negative signs.
In 21 EYBL games, Wiseman averaged 15.2 points on 52% TS. For a 7'1 dude with a 7'6 wingspan playing against other 16 and 17 year olds, that is... not good. For comparison, another C prospect in this year's draft, Onyeka Okongwu, shot 75.89% TS in EYBL play, and most people don't even consider him a top 20 prospect. Isaiah Stewart shot 60.5% TS, and he's generally not considered a lock for top 10.
In raw numbers, that translates to him shooting 55% from the FT line and 14.8% from 3!! And it's not like he didn't take any, he was taking more than 1 a game, which isn't the largest sample but it's not like he only took two shots the whole time.
It's not like he makes up for that by being a gifted facilitator either: 14 assists to 44 turnovers in EYBL play is not an ideal ratio.
The only real stat that people have been able to point at as an indicator of an NBA level skill as of right now is his blocks: 39 in 21 games is a strong block rate. Unfortunately, if you actually watch the tape on him it turns out that's not because he's some brilliant rim protector, but instead just a result of him jumping at literally everything. He has a 9'3.5'' standing reach. He should not need to jump that often for blocks, especially against guys who are 6'5 and under: but he does. He's always a-leapin. He plays much, much smaller than he is.
He's got the physical tools to still end up as a solid defender, if only due to the rules of verticality, and I'm sure that some strong coaching and development can turn him into at least an acceptable offensive player. But this weird narrative about him being in the strong contest for the #1 overall pick this year is just ludicrous to me. He would have to have a stellar college year to have any real chance of it. Of course, that's possible, but as of right now? Noooooooope.