Andrew Wiggins was a catalyst for the Golden State Warriors championship in 2022. At his best, he's an elite defender with high-level offensive upside, especially as a slasher and catch-and-shoot specialist on the perimeter.
Following the loss of Klay Thompson, who joined the Dallas Mavericks at the start of free agency, head coach Steve Kerr is looking to his team to play an up-tempo run-and-gun offense. As such, he wants the Warriors to make and take a lot of threes next season.
During a recent interview with Kerith Burke of NBC Sports Bay Area, Kerr shared his expectations for Wiggins heading into the new season.
The veteran head coach outlined the role he envisions the championship-winning forward playing on offense next season and what he's verbalized to Wiggins during training camp.
"I’ve already told him: six 3-pointers a game,” Kerr said. "He is a really good 3-point shooter. 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. He looks really comfortable in every aspect of the game. And let’s face it, with Klay gone, we need him to step up and be our second scorer after Steph, and we know he’s perfectly capable of that.”
Wiggins has struggled for the past two seasons as he dealt with personal issues away from the basketball court. However, Golden State needs him to return to his best once the new campaign begins. His presence on the wings, especially at the point of attack on defense, could elevate the franchise into being a genuine playoff contender next season.
Still, Wiggins isn't the only player tasked with increasing their presence on the perimeter. We should expect high usage from Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, Moses Moody and potentially Jonathan Kuminga as Kerr looks to outscore opponents from deep.
Nevertheless, getting a strong year out of Wiggins is essential if Golden State wants to bounce back from missing last year's playoffs. It has the three-point shooting talent to make this new approach work, especially with Stephen Curry leading the charge. Still, for the third season in a row, Wiggins' production will be a significant swing factor for the franchise. Only time will tell how that works out.
