Golden State Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins may be on the verge of a bounceback —if not a career —season.
His 2023-24 campaign was an aberration of sorts, the stress from his father’s failing health taking a toll. His conditioning was questioned coming into the season. He had a week-long in-season absence. Last but not least, he lost his supreme focus; he wasn’t Ginsu sharp offensively or defensively.
Is Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins On Verge Of Career Season?
Despite all of that, during the team’s Media Day, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said that Golden State is “going to be relying on him heavily” (per Bay Area News Group reporter Darren Emerman). Kerr then added that Wiggins is a “20 points a night guy” while noting he’ll be more featured this season.
Steve Kerr on Andrew Wiggins: “We’re going to be relying on him heavily.”
Said Wiggins is motivated, looks fantastic and will be featured in part to fill the void left by Klay Thompson. He’s a “20-points a night guy” in his physical prime.
— Danny Emerman (@DannyEmerman) September 26, 2024
With Klay Thompson and the 19.9 points per game he averaged for the Warriors since returning from his knee and Achilles injuries now in Dallas, many expected Jonathan Kuminga to be the beneficiary. The highly-touted forward broke out last season and his starts correlated positively with the team’s wins. The ever-confident Brandin Podziemski is someone that at least one senior member of the organization believes has All-Star potential.
Yet, in terms of bodies of work, neither has proven themselves in the way Wiggins has. Perhaps that figures into why Kerr is “expecting a big year” (per ESPN reporter Kendra Andrews) from him.
“He looks physically really fit. Just speaking with him, he sounds very motivated. He’s very much at peace. I think he’s in a place where he knows the last couple of years have been tough for a lot of reasons, and I think he’s primed to get back to where he was a couple of years ago.”
A Throwback Or A Throwaway?
Wiggins hasn’t been talked about or treated like former No. 1 pick since being traded to the Warriors.
This isn’t completely negative, as the Toronto native has proven he can play in a systematic offense. While with the Minnesota Timberwolves early in his career, Wiggins was a freewheeling though somewhat predictable scorer, displaying nice versatility. After his rookie season, he averaged 20.3 points per game for the Timberwolves and was generally efficient.
However, Wiggins hadn’t shown that he could play well off of others or make it easy for them to play off of him. His iso scoring was a throwback, reminiscent of the days of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Unfortunately for Wiggins, Bryant and Jordan were better playmakers and perimeter defenders. As a result, their preferred play style was more palatable.
There’s Reason To Believe
Frankly, Wiggins still isn’t much of a facilitator, but he makes quicker decisions. The ball doesn’t stick in his hands as much, his 2.82 seconds per touch the sixth-highest on the team last season. For comparison, back in 2016-17, Wiggins held the ball for 3.35 seconds per touch. In his All-Star season (2021-22), he averaged 2.96 seconds per touch.
The biggest difference is that he’s become an aggressive defender and an efficient 3-point shooter. He takes the Warriors toughest perimeter assignments on defense. He’s bought into the 3-ball and being a release valve in the offense.
Now, his challenge will be putting it all together. He still needs to work within the Warriors system, which emphasizes outside shooting. His perimeter defense is essential, as he has a combination of physical tools that no other player in Golden State does. However, the Wiggins that got to wind up and go in Minnesota has to make a return.
If he succeeds, he may earn his second All-Star selection and the Warriors could be well on their way to the playoffs.
