The last couple of seasons have been a struggle for Andrew Wiggins, to say the least. After the Golden State Warriors reclaimed their championship glory in 2022, a moment that very few expected when the season began, Wiggins was rewarded with a four-year, $109 million extension with the team due to the impact he made during their fourth championship run since 2015. Unfortunately, this hasn't been an investment that has worked in Golden State's favor.
Wiggins only played in 37 games during the 2022-23 season due to personal reasons, and he didn't look like the same impactful wing he did during the team's title run the season prior. Just this past season, Wiggins seemed to regress heavily due to his constant role change and being reverted to a bench talent at times in Steve Kerr's nightly rotation. The former All-Star averaged just 13.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 71 total games as a result.
Ahead of training camp and the 2024-25 season, Wiggins is again dealing with hardship. Mitchell Wiggins, his father, recently passed away earlier in September, and the Warriors forward is also going to have to battle through all of the external noise that surrounds him. However, Kerr and the Warriors are very optimistic about Wiggins' ability to have a major bounceback season.
“I mean, I've only seen him the last couple of days since he got back in town, but number one, he looks physically really fit. I think he also looks — just speaking with him — he sounds very motivated and is very at peace,” Kerr told reporters on Thursday, via The Athletic's Anthony Slater. “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 is primed to get back to where he was a few years ago.”
Steve Kerr hopeful for Andrew Wiggins' success
When the Warriors won their last championship in 2022, Wiggins was an instrumental part of their overall success. The former first overall pick averaged 17.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 39.3 percent from three-point range during the regular season en route to being named an All-Star. In the playoffs, Wiggins averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game during the championship run.
This organization knows what Wiggins brings to the table and his importance to success, especially since he is a two-way presence on the wing. Now that Klay Thompson is with the Dallas Mavericks, someone is going to need to step up next to Stephen Curry on a nightly basis. Kerr is hopeful that this player can be Wiggins.
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“He's at the age where he's right at his physical prime, and we've seen him do it — helped us win a championship,” Kerr said. “I'm expecting a big ear from Wigs, and I think there is also a void that is left by Klay's [Thompson] absence that we need to fill. That is a lot of points to score, but it also means we have to rethink how we're doing things. Wigs will be featured for sure. He's the guy that's proven. He's a 20-point-per-night guy, and we're going to reroute.
“We are going to be relying on him heavily.”
The Warriors finished the 2023-24 season with a 46-36 record, failing to earn a playoff spot via the play-in tournament. After adding the likes of Buddy Hield, De'Anthony Melton, and Kyle Anderson this offseason, Golden State's only goal is making the playoffs and proving to the rest of the league that they can still be true title contenders. In order to do so, the Warriors will need Wiggins to have a bounce-back season after all of the adversity he has faced.
