For the second straight game Thursday night, Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins was listed as out for personal reasons. He also missed Tuesday night’s game against the Washington Wizards.
It has been a disappointing season for Wiggins and the Warriors in general (although they have been playing much better of late). Now it seems like the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft will be out for the unforeseeable future.
Warriors Starter Steps Away From Team Indefinitely
Hasn’t Been Wiggins’ Best Season
In Thursday night’s 110-99 victory over the Knicks, Wiggins was out of action for the second straight game for personal reasons. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke more on the matter before the game, saying that Wiggins is dealing with a “personal matter” and that it is unclear when he will be back on the court. Kerr mentioned how Wiggins is a “private” person, so they are keeping the reason private.
It has not been one of Wiggins’ better seasons in 2023-24. The 29-year-old (turned it on February 23), has the worst field goal percentage (.455) and three-point percentage (.351) of his four full seasons with Golden State. The 10-year veteran is averaging career-lows in minutes (27.2), points (12.7), assists (1.7), and steals (0.6). His Player Efficiency Rating (PER) of 11.9 is also a career-low. There was a 10-game stretch from mid December until early January where Kerr brought him off the bench.
It was just two seasons ago, in 2021-22, where Wiggins was named an All-Star as a starter. That season, he averaged 17.2 points per contest while averaging 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in that season’s playoffs. The Warriors ended up being NBA Champions that season.
Andrew Wiggins Out Last Season as Well for Personal Reasons
This is eerily similar to last season when Wiggins missed an ample amount of time due to personal reasons. While the team or Wiggins never announced what those reasons were, Shams Charania of the Athletic reported it was because of a serious medical situation that his father Mitchell was dealing with. Mitchell Wiggins played six seasons in the NBA.
Wiggins ended up missing the final 25 games of the 2022-23 regular season. He did appear in all 13 of the Warriors’ playoff games which saw them lose to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round in six games.
The Warriors are currently 10th in the Western Conference with a 31-27 record. They are three games behind the New Orleans Pelicans who are in sixth place out West.
Fortunately, the Warriors seemed to have turned the corner and are in position to make a run to the postseason. Wiggins was a huge part of the Warriors championship run and they will need him back to do so again. Hopefully, all is well at home and Wiggins can get back to the basketball court soon.
