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James Wiseman is trying to jumpstart an NBA return while helping Team USA qualify for the World Cup. Kevin Ortiz/FIBA via Getty Images OCEANSIDE, Calif. — The Indiana Pacers released James Wiseman the day after Christmas. What, they wanted to wait until “A Wonderful Life” was over? But seriously, poor timing has defined much of Wiseman’s basketball career. Wiseman played just three games at the University of Memphis because the NCAA found that he accepted $11, 500 in moving expenses from coach Penny Hardaway. If Wiseman, who is only 24 but was 18 at the time, had been in college in any of the last couple of years, he could have been paid millions of dollars in NIL money, hired his own movers and left a nice tip. “Feel like the NCAA kind of nerfed me while I was in college, ” Wiseman said. Wiseman was drafted second overall by Golden State in 2020 — the COVID-19 draft — and with Klay Thompson out for the season and Stephen Curry missing all but five games, he appeared in 39 games and averaged 11. 5 points and 5. 8 rebounds as a rookie. But in April of 2021 he tore his meniscus and missed all of the Warriors’ championship run the following season. Bad timing. Advertisement The next season, 2022-23, the Warriors traded Wiseman to the Detroit Pistons, with whom he was a part of the infamous NBA record set in 2023-24 for consecutive losses in a single season (28). And then, sheesh, on opening night of the following campaign, with the Indiana Pacers, he tore his Achilles. While he was out the whole year, Indiana went to Game 7 of the NBA Finals. With his luck, it’s no wonder the Pacers let him go (he was on a 10-day hardship contract with four days left on it) while presents were still under the tree. “This whole process, honestly, it’s definitely been down a lot, ” Wiseman told The Athletic Sunday, after finally, maybe, perhaps, doing something where timing was on his side. “I’m just keeping my head up and staying resilient, but it’s definitely been tough — I ain’t gonna lie. “Just being able to have resilience and be able to persevere through adversity is what matters. ” Wiseman played in 152 NBA games, has a championship ring from a team he didn’t play for that season and two major ligament tears to show for a career that once carried enormous expectations. But this week he found himself in a place that has quietly become a lifeline for players trying to restart their careers. Wiseman was part of USA Basketball’s men’s national team competing in the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying window — a two-game set in this seaside town between Los Angeles and San Diego — where opportunity sometimes comes down to timing as much as talent. The Americans went 1-1 in the two-game window, including a 123-88 shellacking of Mexico in which Wiseman scored 8 points with three rebounds and two blocks in 15 minutes. He played 25 minutes Thursday against the Dominican Republic (the U. S. lost, which was a stunner) and finished with 11 points and three blocks. Generally, Wiseman moved well on defense and most of his blocks came on recoveries, with him chasing the roll man and then pinning his shot against the boards. The Americans routinely ran plays for him at the rim, but the passes weren’t always there, so it looked to the untrained eye like Wiseman had some trouble catching the ball in traffic. Advertisement “I feel like this was a test to see where I was at, ” Wiseman said. “The torn Achilles stuff is serious, and it’s more of a mental grind than anything, but just being able through that whole process and stay resilient and then like seeing like how I was moving… you usually don’t come back the same, so being able to move really well and be able to feel like myself this week was really important. ” “With Wise, you can see he belongs on an NBA roster, ” U. S. coach Stephen Silas said after the Americans’ loss on Thursday. “He’s long, he can play pick and roll defense. … He rebounds, he blocks shots. He’s a little rusty; scoring around the hoop was a little bit tough for him. But he belongs on the NBA roster. ” OK, so, the last time Silas said something like that, at the beginning of December, it was during one of these World Cup qualifiers and he was speaking about Mar Jon Beauchamp, who was then on the U. S. team and almost immediately signed to a two-way with the Philadelphia 76ers. A similar thing happened to Matt Ryan during the 2023 World Cup qualifying season. USA Basketball has become a destination for players looking to reboot their NBA careers. They join the American team during these qualifiers — when most fans aren’t watching and the superstars are not on the court — play well, and get that next shot at NBA glory. Another former NBA player with USA Basketball this week was David Roddy, who led the U. S. with 20 points on Sunday. He is playing for the Toronto Raptors’ G League team now, and the G League has a partnership with USAB in which the American team can borrow players for these qualifiers. Roddy said yes in part because he knew about the success people before him experienced when they wore that USA jersey. The good timing for Wiseman was the arrival of a World Cup qualifying window just as he found himself out of work. Whether it translates immediately into another NBA chance remains to be seen. Now that the trade deadline has passed, teams looking to make final roster tweaks can only do so through free agency. Wiseman, as it turns out, is currently free. Advertisement “You know how the grind is, just trying to wait for a call, ” Wiseman said. “But other than that, just keep grinding. Just wait and just stay patient. Just keep on working on my game. ” Wiseman smiles when he speaks. He is engaging. Teammates and coaches like him wherever he goes. He says enough to let you know basically what he’s thinking without divulging too much. He said former Warriors teammate Jonathan Kuminga was “my guy, ” but didn’t (as Kuminga would) have any grand statement to make about either of them getting the chance they were looking for with Golden State. “I feel like just me being persistent with the progress, it’s gonna pay off, ” Wiseman said. “I feel like me not being more of a liability on defense is what’s gonna keep me in the league for sure. ” The Americans led by as many as 42 on Sunday, but saw their lead cut to 12 in the third quarter while Mexico’s veteran team went off in front of a World Cup-qualifier record (for a USA home game) 3, 300 people mosty cheering for Mexico. The win was among the most complete performances ever turned in by a U. S. qualifying team, coming off a loss against a quality opponent. If the phone doesn’t ring for Wiseman or Roddy with an NBA team on the other line based on their play this week, well, there is another qualifying window in July. The U. S. has a game in the Dominican Republic. For once, the timing worked in Wiseman’s favor. What comes next depends on who’s watching. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Joe Vardon is a senior NBA writer for The Athletic, based in Cleveland. Follow Joe on Twitter @joevardon