Andrew Wiggins is making his NBA preseason debut tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Golden State Warriors forward missed most of training camp due to an illness he contracted following their media day. The Warriors have been looking forward to seeing the 2015 Rookie of the Year back in their lineup.
Following Klay Thompson’s decision to move on with his career by joining the Dallas Mavericks, the Warriors are left with a void on their offense that needs to be filled. Warriors fans are optimistic that Wiggins can fill that void this season, and so they expect a lot from the returning Canadian forward.
WIggins confirmed on Tuesday that he’ll play for the first time this season tonight. He also opened up about his absence from the team caused by the illness.
“It’s tough,” Wiggins said. “Because you lose it fast, especially when you’re sick. I’ve been working hard, doing a lot of extra stuff to get my conditioning back, getting that right. I’m excited for tonight.”
Andrew Wiggins is making his preseason debut tonight. Finally over an illness. He was said to be in great shape prior to camp. How behind is his conditioning? “I’ll know tonight.” pic.twitter.com/ZXSCUqWf7Q
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 15, 2024
Andrew Wiggins had a rather lackluster season last year, underperforming and tallying the lowest averages of his career. He only averaged 13.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists last season. The 2024-25 NBA season could be his starting point to redeeming himself.
Steve Kerr still a big Andrew Wiggins believer
Like most Golden State Warriors fans, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is high on Andrew Wiggins. Ahead of the new season, Kerr opened up about his expectations from the Canadian forward as they look to make another championship run this season.
“Well I’m not going to put numbers on it, I’m just going to put aggression and peace of mind, which I’m seeing right now,” Kerr said in an interview. “It’s been a brutally difficult two years for Wiggs and his family, with his father passing away recently. It’s been trying for him. There’s no question his dad’s health impacted his play and impacted his well-being. As sad as it is, I’m hopeful his father’s death brings a little peace.”
With Klay Thompson’s departure, Wiggins has free rein to be in his All-Star form and take the role as the team’s second shooter following Steph Curry. Kerr knows that WIggins is “a really good three-point shooter” and wants him to shoot at least “six three-pointers a game.”
“He is a really good three-point shooter,” The Warriors head coach said. “It was down a little bit last year, but since he’s been here, 39, 40 percent. I want a lot of threes and I want a lot of attacks to the rim. He shot 80-plus percent from the foul line in the second half of the year last year.”
Fans will need to wait a little bit more to see if the Curry-Wiggins combo can lead the Warriors to another championship this season.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
