James Wiseman solidifies Pacers' depth at center after departure of Jalen Smith
The Pacers add their fifth lottery pick from the 2020 draft class. James Wiseman went No. 2 overall, but didn't pan out with the Warriors. Now he begins a new chapter with a team on the rise.
The Indiana Pacers didn’t take long to shore up their depth in the frontcourt.
One day after Jalen Smith, who declined his third-year player option, moved on to join the Chicago Bulls, the Pacers reached agreement with free-agent center James Wiseman, as first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
He’s a 6-foot-11, 240-pound agile center who fits the bill of this modern Pacers team. He runs the floor well, gets to his spots and finishes well inside. He’s shot better than 51% from the field in all four seasons in the league.
And last season, in Detroit, a career-high 80% of his points were scored in the paint. Now on a roster with three point guards who are good at distributing, Wiseman will simply need to be in the right spot and ready to catch-and-finish.
You can easily envision T.J. McConnell slashing to the lane, drawing multiple defenders and floating it up to Wiseman for an easy flush. Wiseman joins a roster with Myles Turner and Isaiah Jackson ahead of him on the depth chart, so there won’t be a lot asked of him. (Both Turner and Jackson are entering the final year of their contracts.)
And Turner has thrived, recording career years since the acquisition of an elite point guard in Tyrese Haliburton back in 2022.
Wiseman was the No. 2 overall pick in 2020, selected by the Golden State Warriors. He started in 27 of 39 games during his rookie season, then he dealt with several injuries, including a torn meniscus. A year later, he traded to the Detroit Pistons after just 1.5 years in San Francisco, and now he’s on his third team in five seasons.