Warriors Coach’s Answer Raises More Questions on Andrew Wiggins Absence

Golden State Warriors‘ former All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins has regained his rhythm since he remained with the team past the trade deadline. So, it came as a surprise when he was announced as not with the team at the start of their four-game road trip on the East Coast.

Andrew Wiggins Talks About Absence From Warriors - Fastbreak on FanNation

Adding more mystery to Wiggins’s absence is Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr’s vague explanation when asked if it’s just a one-game off or longer.

“We don’t know,” Kerr said, before the Warriors beat the Washington Wizards, via The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. “We’ll obviously respect Andrew’s wishes for this to remain private for private and personal reasons. Then we’ll just go from there.”

 

Wiggins also missed two months last season due to undisclosed personal reasons.

Moses Moody, who was out of the rotation when he returned from a calf strain, seized the opportunity in Wiggins’ mysterious absence.

The 21-year-old Moody scored 12 points, all from beyond the arc, as Golden State coasted to a 123-112 win in Washington. It was close to Wiggins’ 15.3-point average over his past 9 games.

Moody added 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals in 23 minutes of a spot start.

The Warriors have fielded trade offers for Wiggins before the trade deadline, “but nothing has them jump,” according to Slater.

Wiggins will miss second straight game when the Warriors continue their road trip against the banged-up New York Knicks on Thursday, February 29, at Madison Square Garden.


Chris Paul’s Return Boosts Warriors’ 2nd Unit

Chris Paul’s return also helped mitigate Wiggins’ absence and Stephen Curry going scoreless in the first half. Curry still finished with 18 points while Paul contributed 9 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.

Paul’s return also boosted Klay Thompson, who exploded for 25 points on 6 of 11 3-point shooting off the bench to pace the Warriors balanced offensive attack.

“We’ve been playing pretty well over the last month or so,” Kerr told reporters at Capital One Arena. “But we’ve really been looking forward to getting Chris back. You could see why tonight. He’s a plus-17 in 21 minutes, always in control of the game. The way we closed the third quarter was really important, and he was at the helm.”

The Warriors bench scored a staggering 59 points — 47 came from Thompson, Paul and Gary Payton II, who had 13 points and 3 steals.

“What a luxury to come off the bench with Chris Paul and Klay Thompson,” Kerr said. “That’s crazy. I said this before the game, but it feels like we’ve kind of found a nice combination of a starting group that we’ve been able to count on over the last month and a second unit that’s been good all year. But adding Klay to that only makes it better.”


Steph Curry Hopes Chris Paul Elevates Warriors to Another Level

It’s just one game but it appears Curry’s hope that Paul’s return will help the Warriors reach another level.

“We’ve built some momentum since he’s been out,” Curry said before Paul’s comeback game from hand surgery. “But he’s such a connector, floor general, and a guy that gets everybody in the right spot. So, when I’m on the bench or the rotations when we’re on the court at the same time, it will hopefully elevate us to another level when he gets comfortable and gets his legs underneath him. That, on top of how we’ve been playing, outside of tonight, hopefully that will allow us to keep building.”

https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1761977279184605496

Paul did exactly like that in the second half when he came in and led the Warriors to a 17-2 run that broke the game wide open.

Related Posts

NBA Insider Says LeBron James Is Unlikely To Get Involved In Lakers Coaching Search

After firing former coach Darin Ham, the Lakers are already hard at work narrowing down the candidates for his replacement. According to NBA insider Brian Windhorst, LeBron James…

Warriors labelled best fit should 14x All-Star wish to be traded again

The Golden State Warriors-Kevin Durant reunion speculation continues to brew despite no indication from the 14x All-Star that he’s looking to move from the Phoenix Suns. Regardless,…

Mavericks forward pulled off epic troll job against Clippers amid heated series

The Dallas Mavericks knocked off the LA Clippers in six games in the first round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs to advance to the second round to…

Rich Paul Talks LeBron James’ Future as Lakers Head to Pivotal Summer

Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul hinted at how many NBA seasons are left for his top client and close friend LeBron James as the Los Angeles Lakers head to a pivotal…

Thunder’s cocky approach to guarding Luka Doncic could come back to bite them

Later today, the Dallas Mavericks open up their series against the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. The Thunder are not necessarily an easy matchup for Dallas considering they’re…

Lakers’ LeBron James drops honest review of Warriors’ Draymond Green’s ‘biggest asset’

The Golden State Warriors may not have reached the playoffs this season, but they still have one of great core – headed by Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Lakers…