James Wiseman Gets Another NBA Shot as Knicks Open the Door in New York

James Wiseman is getting another chance.

And considering how his NBA career has gone so far, this one could mean quite a lot.

The New York Knicks announced Wednesday that they have signed Wiseman to an Exhibit 9 contract, bringing the former No. 2 overall draft pick into training camp with an opportunity to fight for a place on the roster.

It isn’t a guaranteed roster spot. Far from it.

Wiseman is walking into a competition.

But sometimes that’s exactly what a player needs — another gym, another training camp and another opportunity to show that there is still something there.

It wasn’t that long ago that Wiseman entered the NBA carrying enormous expectations.

Golden State selected him with the second pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. When a player gets drafted that high, people naturally expect him to become one of the faces of the future.

But his career never really settled down.

There were flashes of the size and athleticism that made him such an interesting prospect in the first place, but injuries and inconsistent playing time made it difficult for him to build any real momentum.

His rookie season ended early because of a knee injury, and he missed the entire following season while recovering.

Eventually, Golden State moved him to Detroit in 2023.

More stops followed, including Indiana, but Wiseman still hasn’t found the kind of permanent NBA home that once seemed almost guaranteed when his name was called second on draft night.

Now comes New York.

And there is something interesting about the timing.

The Knicks aren’t simply handing him a roster position. They’re bringing several players into camp and allowing them to compete for the remaining openings.

http://NBA.com reports that Wiseman will be competing with players including Ochai Agbaji, Bruce Brown, John Konchar and Drew Eubanks for available roster space.

That means every practice matters.

Every preseason opportunity matters.

And for Wiseman, even the smaller moments could matter.

Set a good screen. Protect the rim. Run the floor. Rebound. Show that he can stay healthy and give the team useful minutes without needing the offense built around him.

His role doesn’t have to look anything like what people imagined when he entered the league.

That’s probably the biggest thing here.

Wiseman doesn’t need to prove that he should have been the second pick in 2020.

That part of his career is already history.

He just needs to prove that he can help an NBA team now.

And at 25 years old, there is still time to do that.

New York is giving him the opportunity.

What happens with it is now up to him.