Golden State Warriors' Steve Kerr says James Wiseman has meniscus injury, but severity not yet confirmed

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors center James Wiseman has a meniscus injury and is still being evaluated by multiple medical experts to determine the severity, coach Steve Kerr said Monday.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday that Wiseman suffered a tear to the meniscus in his right knee and could miss the rest of the season.

Kerr was non-committal when asked Monday whether Wiseman's season was over.

"I don't know that," Kerr said before the Warriors hosted the Denver Nuggets. "We are in the process of getting multiple opinions. He had an MRI and so we're having multiple experts look at the MRI to determine what's next. We don't have any timetable yet. The biggest thing is making sure James is OK. He's obviously had a lot of adversity this rookie season, with the wrist injury, now the knee injury and of course missing training camp, not having a summer league. He's really gutted through a lot of difficulty. ... And so this is yet another obstacle that's been put in front of him."

The injury occurred during the second quarter of Golden State's win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday, when Wiseman went up for a dunk and landed awkwardly after being blocked by Rockets forward Kenyon Martin Jr.

"I just feel terrible for James," Kerr said. "It seemed like he was just starting to get a little rhythm offensively and starting to feel good and picking up some momentum. So it's really tough to see him go down."

Kerr said veteran center Kevon Looney would start in Wiseman's absence.

Wiseman, 20, showed flashes of promise after being selected No. 2 overall in the 2020 draft, but he struggled to find consistency during an up-and-down rookie year in which he averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds.

Despite the latest setback, Kerr said Wiseman is trying to stay positive and was lifting weights prior to Monday's game.

"He's in really good spirits," Kerr said. "He's just been through an awful lot this season. And he has a really good way about him and he's at minimum putting up a good front, but I know he's really crushed, but he's hanging in there."

Kerr acknowledged the Warriors might look to add another center before the end of the season. Former center Marquese Chriss suffered a season-ending ankle injury during the first week of the season, and Looney has dealt with a variety of health issues over the past two years.

"We're obviously very thin in the front court," Kerr said. "That's obviously something that we will be looking at as we go forward and once we get word on what James' prognosis is."

In other injury news, Warriors swingman Kelly Oubre Jr.remains out because of a sprained wrist. Oubre suffered the injury Friday during a loss to the Washington Wizards and missed Saturday's game, but Kerr is hopeful the injury is not too serious.

"He remains day-to-day," Kerr said. "I talked to him today, he said he's feeling better. So I don't think this will be a long absence, but we'll just continue to say day-to-day."