James Wiseman's Chance at Redemption with New York Knicks

James Wiseman will walk into New York Knicks training camp with a minimum deal, a medical file as thick as a playbook and one edge that might actually matter: the head coach already believes in him.

Mike Brown, now in charge of the reigning NBA champions, hasn’t forgotten the 7-footer he helped break into the league. As reported by Marc Stein, Brown remains a Wiseman believer, and that alone injects a little intrigue into what could have been a routine camp cattle call.

The Knicks have invited five veterans on Exhibit 9 contracts. For most of them, this is about survival. For Wiseman, it’s about resurrection.

He’ll battle Drew Eubanks for minutes — and possibly a job — at center. Bruce Brown, John Konchar and Ochai Agbaji will scrap for a place on the perimeter. New York can carry 15 standard contracts but is expected to start the season with 14 unless another salary move surfaces. With 13 deals already guaranteed, there is, in theory, one chair left when the music stops on October 21.

Brown’s Memory, Wiseman’s Window

Brown’s belief in Wiseman is rooted in more than a few optimistic workout clips. He sat on Steve Kerr’s staff during Wiseman’s first two seasons with the Golden State Warriors. He saw the raw outline of why the big man went No. 2 in the 2020 draft — the fluid movement, the soft touch, the easy elevation — and he saw how quickly it all unraveled.

As a rookie, Wiseman averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds, flashing enough promise to justify the hype, before a knee injury shut him down. The next year vanished entirely. No games, no rhythm, just rehab. By February 2023, Golden State moved on and sent him to Detroit.

The reset didn’t stick. His next restart, in Indiana, barely got off the ground. Five minutes into the 2024-25 opener, Wiseman tore his left Achilles. Another season gone before it even started.

That’s how a 25-year-old, 7-foot former No. 2 pick arrives at camp as one of the hardest players on the floor to judge. The tools are still there. Those can’t be manufactured. The doubts lie elsewhere: Can he stay on the court? Can he read the game defensively? Can he deliver the same effort and focus every night?

Brown’s support doesn’t punch his ticket onto the roster. It does guarantee something just as valuable in September: a real look, from a coach whose opinion is built on seasons of work, not a week of drills.

A Real Need in the Middle

This isn’t just a feel-good reunion story. The Knicks have a basketball problem to solve.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond anchor the center rotation, but behind them the floor drops away. Mitchell Robinson is gone. Ariel Hukporti is gone. The safety net at the five disappeared with them.

That’s the lane Wiseman is trying to occupy. He offers size at the rim, vertical spacing as a lob threat and rebounding presence. Eubanks counters with what every coach trusts: experience and reliability. Eight years in the league, a known defensive baseline, fewer surprises.

The choice in front of New York is simple to frame, harder to make. Protect the frontcourt by keeping a third center, or lean into the wing depth and hold onto one of Bruce Brown, Konchar or Agbaji — players who can defend on the perimeter and soak up minutes across multiple spots.

This isn’t new territory for the franchise. Last fall, the Knicks staged a similar camp contest with Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon, Garrison Mathews, Matt Ryan and Alex Len. Brogdon’s unexpected retirement cracked the door open. Shamet walked through it, carved out a role in a title-winning rotation and turned that into a four-year, $24 million contract.

That’s the template on the whiteboard now.

Wiseman doesn’t need to be a star. He needs to be healthy, connected defensively and comfortable living in a narrow role — screen, roll, rebound, protect the rim, run the floor. If he can do that, Brown’s long-held belief might be the bridge between a career stuck in neutral and a fresh chapter that finally moves forward on opening night at Madison Square Garden.