Although the New York Knicks may have fallen flat in Monday's preseason opener, losing to the Philadelphia 76ers by a final score of 120-97, James Wiseman managed to impress with his individual performance.
Currently on the roster bubble, as the big man inked a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal with the defending champions back in September, Wiseman made the most of his debut outing with the Knickerbockers, logging eight points, five rebounds, and a block in just nine minutes of action.
While these numbers may not be anything to write home about on their own, and though his rawness as a defender certainly presented itself (committed two fouls), his movement and athleticism on the hardwood, along with his activity fighting for loose balls, certainly were aspects of his game that stood out on the night.
This solid showing comes just days after it was reported that Wiseman was tabbed as the favorite among his non-guaranteed peers to land a full-scale deal with the club by the end of camp.
Following this preseason opener, these rumblings are only bound to grow even louder as the October 19 deadline rapidly approaches.
Primary Knicks center competetors trumped in comparison to Wiseman
On top of his personal performance, what seemed to stand out about Wiseman's debut with the Knicks was the fact that his two main competitors gunning for the third center spot fell noticeably short in the opportunities department.
Tony Bradley and Drew Eubanks saw just six minutes apiece on the night, all of which came in the fourth period, and combined for a lackluster three points, one rebound, two personal fouls, and a turnover.
Outside of his draft pedigree of being a former number two overall selection, Wiseman also has a personal relationship with head coach Mike Brown, as the two were on the Golden State Warriors from 2020 until Brown's departure in 2022.
Seeing him get considerably more run right out of the gate in comparison is certainly not surprising, though, as the preseason rolls on, expect to see Bradley and Eubanks get a few more minutes here and there.
Though a center isn't necessarily the lone position the Knicks are considering to add as their 14 man on the roster, as guard Bruce Brown and wing Ochai Agbaji are fighting for a standard deal themselves, based on how Monday's exhibition went, it seems safe to say that, at least for the moment, Wiseman holds a comfortable lead en route to securing New York's roster vacancy.
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