Detroit Pistons: The skill that could set James Wiseman apart

The Detroit Pistons took a calculated risk when they traded Saddiq Bey and Kevin Knox for James Wiseman at the trade deadline.

The trade of Saddiq Bey is not going to define Troy Weaver’s time with the franchise, but it is another potential pock mark on his record if things don’t work out, especially if Bey blows up in Atlanta.

We’ve seen Weaver take these kinds of chances before, though none of them have worked out, and you could argue that the Marvin Bagley III trade, and subsequent contract were the worst of Weaver’s moves so far in Detroit, particularly the contract.

But if things work out with Wiseman, Weaver will look smart, as the young big man has a world of potential, especially on the offensive end, and has already shown flashes of defense that could eventually come.

James Wiseman has been compared to MBIII and there are some similarities on the surface. Both have a ton of offensive talent and can dominate around the rim. Both have struggled defensively and were big disappointments to the teams that drafted them number two overall.

But Wiseman has one thing that really sets him apart from the other bigs on the roster, and most 7-footers in the league.

Detroit Pistons: James Wiseman has handles

We really have no idea what James Wiseman can be, as he has barely played in his three seasons in the NBA. To put it in perspective, Jalen Duren has already played more minutes in his rookie season than Wiseman has played in his career.

But Wiseman is still only 21-years-old, and has flashed abilities that few big men in the league have, especially when it comes to handling the ball.

Wiseman has shown the ability to grab a rebound or get a block and then take it the distance himself, as he does here in a highlight against the Detroit Pistons:

Wiseman has also flashed the ability to beat smaller players off the dribble in the half court, which is something he’ll need to be able to do if he is going to play the four alongside Duren.

This is only a practice video, but this crossover is something that few seven footers feature as parts of their game:

https://twitter.com/TrolledByCade/status/1623926785368010752

There has been a lot of talk about whether Wiseman will have enough range on his shot to play with another center, but if he can take it to the rim off close outs, occasionally beat a defender off the bounce and take it the distance off rebounds, he can still play as an Evan Mobley-type power forward while waiting for the shooting touch to come.

The future of the Detroit Pistons does not depend on James Wiseman, as they will still need to add another top draft pick and plenty of talent in trades or free agency, but this guy was picked second for a reason, namely because he can do things other big men can’t.

If he can reach his considerable potential, it will be icing on the cake for the Pistons, who didn’t risk much to get him, as they weren’t keen to re-sign Bey anyway.