Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins flipped from MIA to playoff mode without a hitch
SAN FRANCISCO — Sometime in the middle of Game 3 at Chase Center, Steve Kerr pulled Andrew Wiggins aside to put the game into a different perspective.
“OK,” Kerr said. “This is like Opening Night for you.”
Lost in the ejections, suspensions and missed buzzer-beaters that have defined the very first Battle for Northern California is the uncertainty that surrounded Wiggins heading into this first-round series. The 28-year-old’s first NBA game action since Feb. 13 was the Warriors’ Game 1 loss in Sacramento following his mysterious 50-day absence.
Underlying an unprecedented situation was a harsh reality that Wiggins — one of Golden State’s most important players in last year’s title run — might not be physically ready to help get his team into the next round. Rave reviews from teammates on how Wiggins looked in practice and scrimmages leading up to the playoffs were the only hints of how he’d recover from the substantial layoff.
Those reviews weren’t far off, it turns out. Over the first four games, Wiggins quickly transformed into the two-way player this team desperately needs.
“He’s gotten his body to a place where he can play big minutes and play with a lot of force,” Kerr said. “His shooting and rhythm, offensively, is coming around, too. We’re thrilled to have him back.
“Obviously, we have to have him at both ends to win.”
Jordan Poole echoed that sentiment.
“He’s such a big part of our team,” he said. “We’re going to need him to keep playing the way he’s been playing to make a run.”
The Warriors wouldn’t have erased a 2-0 series deficit against the Kings without Wiggins’ defense, particularly on De’Aaron Fox, and his improved shooting touch.
Wiggins started the series off the bench, scoring 17 points limited to 28 minutes with a 1-for-8 night on 3-pointers that included a missed game-tying 3 at the buzzer. He scored 22 points in Game 2 and wound up shooting 3-for-16 from 3 while shooting 46% from the field with eight total rebounds during their first two losses. The Kings were happy to funnel a few open looks to Wiggins, likely banking on him having some rust left to shake — and that risk paid off.
Golden State had different personnel involved in its two home wins. Playing one-big lineups — caused by Draymond Green’s Game 3 suspension — the Warriors’ spacing opened up opportunities elsewhere and helped Wiggins ease into more selective shooting beyond the arc. He went 4-for-8 from 3 over the past two games and found his rhythm challenging the Kings’ weak rim protection.
Wiggins scored 20 points in Game 3 and 18 points in Game 4.
“I definitely feel like I got my touch back,” Wiggins said. “Around the rim, my shot. I feel like I’m in a good rhythm.”
He’s been consistent since Day 1 on the defensive end, totaling nine blocks — including a pair of four-block games — and three steals. The Warriors’ title run last year relied on Wiggins taking on the opposing team’s best scorers. If Wiggins hadn’t returned to form, they might’ve been out of luck or entirely reliant on Green against an unstoppable Fox this series.
Rick Celebrini, the team’s director of sports medicine and performance, tends to be overly cautious when re-integrating a player into game action. Yet, team trainers had no qualms about Wiggins diving right into a 37 minutes-per-game workload over the last three games.
“The ability to get into game speed and shape so quickly is pretty remarkable,” Kerr said. “But a pretty good set of genes on Andrew.”