Golden State Warriors' James Wiseman cleared to play in two G League games

SAN FRANCISCO -- Center James Wiseman has been cleared for the next stage of his rehab process, which will include two G League games with the Santa Cruz Warriors, the Golden State Warriors said Tuesday.

Playing in the games will mark a major hurdle cleared for the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2020. Wiseman has been sidelined with a meniscus injury since April. He played just 39 games his rookie season.

Wiseman initially had a repair surgery that projected to have a nine-month recovery window. But after he suffered a setback in September that required a scope and a cleanup operation, that timetable was pushed back.

He returned to individual work in January and team work, including scrimmaging, in February.

There is still no set date for his return to NBA games, but playing in the G League clears the way for Wiseman to get back out on the court with Golden State soon.

"What I will always keep circling back to is this guy needs reps," Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters last week. "He needs a thousand reps and he needs a training camp. So, let's temper the expectations, but he excited about his future because as he gets those reps, he's got the potential to be a tremendous player."

Sources told ESPN that it's "highly unlikely" that Wiseman will crack the rotation at this point in the season, but could find some playing time here or there.

Wiseman will first appear with Santa Cruz on Thursday at the Stockton Kings before playing Sunday against the G League Ignite at Chase Center in San Francisco.