Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins has missed the team’s last 12 consecutive games. Although the reason for Wiggins’ absence is unknown to the general public, it is apparently a very serious matter.
An anonymous Warriors player on Andrew Wiggins' prolonged absence from the Warriors:
“What he’s dealing with, is some real (expletive)", per @ThompsonScribe. pic.twitter.com/XW1bvbXFEE
— Unbiased NBA Fan (@nonbiasednbafan) March 15, 2023
Wiggins has missed more than a calendar month of time with the team. He last played against the Washington Wizards on Feb. 13, when he scored a team-high 29 points. Since then, the Canadian-born forward has been listed as “out” due to “personal reasons”
Head coach Steve Kerr stated in March that the team hopes Wiggins will be back before the end of the season but offered no clarity in terms of a timeline.
“I think that’s the hope, but really there’s nothing to report on,” said Kerr. “So we’re giving him his space as we talked about, as he deals with something that’s way more important than the game.”
Meanwhile, Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd recently reported that he’s heard Wiggins will not return at all this season.
— sam esfandiari (@samesfandiari) March 15, 2023
“I was told last night that Andrew Wiggins likely doesn’t return for the season,” said Cowherd. “It’s not 100 percent, but the Warriors have come to terms with that.”
Wiggins was a key contributor to the Warriors’ most recent NBA championship win. He averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the 2022 playoffs and carried that momentum into the NBA Finals where the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics in six games.
The Warriors are currently fifth in the Western Conference standings. However, they face a tough time ahead as their next five games will be on the road. The Warriors are just 7-26 on the road this year.
Wiggins’ consistency at small forward/power forward would certainly be a major help on the upcoming road trip but the team will have to figure out a way to improve their road record without him.
For now, Donte DiVincenzo will continue to eat up most of the minutes that Wiggins normally would. DiVincenzo has performed admirably in Wiggins’ absence. He’s averaging 10.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game since Feb. 14.
Still, DiVincenzo is not quite the same caliber of NBA players that Wiggins is. Wiggins is a former No. 1 overall draft pick, who was averaging 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game before his prolonged absence began.
One can only speculate as to what may be going on in Wiggins’ personal life that is keeping him out for such an extended period of time. However, the team continues to make it abundantly clear that it will not attempt to rush Wiggins back until he is fully ready to return.
