While nobody is counting out the Golden State Warriors, this season has not been going according to plan for the defending NBA champions.
Besides injuries to Stephen Curry, and a ridiculous home-road split, the Dubs have also been dealing with the absence of Andrew Wiggins, who has been mysteriously absent from the team due to “personal reasons.”
No timetable has been placed on his return, but GM Bob Myers refuses to count him out for the season.
“There’s speculation on that, but I haven’t been told, ‘I’m not coming back. No one’s said that to me.’”
Bob Myers on Andrew Wiggins: "I haven't heard anything along the lines of he's not coming back. There's speculation on that, but I haven't been told 'hey, look, I'm not coming back. Nobody said that to me." (via @SteinyGuru957)
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 15, 2023
While he seemed optimistic about Wiggins; potential return, Myers had no update on when to expect him back on the court.
“Nothing different than before. Same answer,” Myers said. “We got to respect him and his life and his privacy.”
Obviously, the Warriors are committing to giving Wiggs the time he needs to sort out his situation, but they could really use his services right now. As, arguably, their best perimeter wing defender, Wiggins is sort of the glue that holds everything together for Golden State. Without him, as we’ve been seeing over the past few months, the Warriors just don’t have the defensive intensity required to string together a long win streak.
If Wiggins ends up missing the season, and into the playoffs, it will no doubt impact their chances to repeat as champions this summer.
Can The Warriors Turn The Season Around?
Of course, the problems don’t just stop with Wiggins for the Dubs. After betting everything on James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga, and Mosses Moody, all three players failed to live up to standards and only one of the three (Kuminga) is actually playing for the team nowadays.
The result has been a very thin rotation, which is why the Warriors have had to lean so much on their core group to keep them competitive in the West. So while we still have to respect the trio of Curry, Klay, and Draymond, there is a sense that this year may be a lost cause.
“I understand they have history. I understand, we have to respect their history,” Kendrick Perkins said on First Take. “Four-time NBA champions. I get all that. [But] when I look at the Golden State Warriors, Stephen A., this is how it’s done. They are dead bird, tall grass. They are done.”
We will see soon enough if Wiggins’ return (if he returns at all this season) will be enough to vault the Warriors back into being one of the best in the West.
But until the day he actually returns, his absence will remain an obstacle for the Warriors in a season that is already littered with so many challenges.
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