James Wiseman Is the Frontrunner for the Knicks' Final Roster Spot, and It Makes Too Much Sense

Stefan Bondy reported in the New York Post that James Wiseman has emerged as the frontrunner for the Knicks' 14th and final roster spot. And the more you sit with it, the more obvious it feels.

Start with what Mike Brown told reporters this week. The Knicks are looking at the center position heavily. Those are his words. With Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond as the only natural bigs on guaranteed contracts, the third center spot is the one real hole on this roster.

Then there's the history. Brown coached Wiseman for two years as an assistant in Golden State. When a coach vouches for a player he actually coached, that carries weight. Brown called him a fantastic young man and said when you're that long and that athletic with skill, there's a place for you in this league. That's not coach speak about a camp body. That's a guy who watched Wiseman up close and still believes.

Wiseman is also the youngest of the group at 25. Bradley and Eubanks are veterans. If you're picking a third center to develop behind Towns and Drummond, the 7-footer with a 7-foot-6 wingspan who was the No. 2 pick is the upside swing.

Now the honest caveats, because they matter. They still have to play the preseason games. Bondy said it himself. Wiseman has played five games in two years since tearing his Achilles. Nobody wants to see that injury history repeat itself, but you can't pretend it doesn't exist. The live games will tell us what camp can't.

And this doesn't close the door on Bruce Brown. I still expect a trade to open up another spot before this is over. The roster math basically demands it.

Here's why the third center spot matters more than people think. We lived through KAT's foul trouble all playoffs. That's why Ariel Hukporti played real minutes last year. This isn't some victory cigar role. Some nights the third big doesn't play. Some nights he plays 6 to 10 minutes and those minutes swing a quarter. That is perfectly fine for Wiseman.

The former No. 2 pick just needs the right moment, the right team, the right situation. Brown's words. Maybe this is finally it.