Golden State Warriors big men James Wiseman and Eric Paschall (health and safety protocols) will not play against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
“This is just modern life,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said prior to the game. “Everybody seems to be going through this at some level in sports. So you just have to adapt and adjust. For the young players involved it’s just going to be a blip on the radar screen, ultimately. The good news is everybody is healthy and these guys have long careers ahead of them.”
Kerr said it remains unclear when either player and several staff members will be able to return as they await word from the league as to when they will be cleared. At a minimum, Kerr said both players will remain in their Houston hotel room on Wednesday night.
For Wiseman, the absence is another setback in an up-and-down rookie season. The 19-year-old has had some bright moments, but he has also been inconsistent as he tries to learn the NBA game.
After missing almost a month because of a wrist injury earlier in the year, Wiseman was benched for the first half of the last Thursday’s game against the LA Clippers after missing two days worth of COVID-19 tests during the All-Star break, which caused him to miss the first practice after the break — a fact that irritated Kerr.
“It’s a setback in his rookie season,” Kerr said of Wiseman’s latest misfortune. “But this is a guy who’s got a 15-20 year career ahead of him. So in the grand scheme of things, it’s not a huge deal.”
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