Golden State Warriors

Steve Kerr thinks Golden State Warriors can win NBA title without Andrew Wiggins

Published by
Peter Dewey

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr believes that the team can win the NBA title without forward Andrew Wiggins.

Wiggins has been out of the lineup for Golden State for over a month, last playing in a game on Feb. 13. He is dealing with a personal matter that has kept him from the team.

“He’s fine; he’s healthy and he’s working out,” Kerr told The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami. “But he has to have the space to do what he needs for his family, and we’re supporting that.”

Kawakami asked Kerr if he believes the Warriors can win the NBA Finals this season — which would be their second straight after last year’s championship —  even if Wiggins can’t return to the team.

“I think so; I really believe in this team,” Kerr said. “I think the fact that we traded for Gary [Payton II] and the way that JK (Jonathan Kuminga) has stepped up in Wigs’ absence. If you look at last year’s team, we had the two on-ball defenders in Wigs and Gary. And you plug JK into that Wigs spot now. It’s not as seamless as it was a year ago because we had a whole season together and we had all that rhythm and continuity, but I do feel good about our chances just with the talent that we have and the experience that we have.”

The Warriors are currently the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference, and they have struggled on the road this season, leading to them falling short of the record last season.

Wiggins is an extremely important part of Golden State’s roster, as he is one of the team’s best wing defenders and is averaging 17.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game this season. Wiggins came up huge in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics last season, averaging 18.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game in the series.

Kerr clearly believes in the tam’s replacement options for Wiggins, and the addition of Payton at the trade deadline gives Golden State another key defender from last season’s championship team.

Payton lacks some of the offensive firepower that Wiggins has, but he can shut down opposing players.

Golden State is looking to lock up a top six spot in the West and avoid the league’s play-in tournament as it tries to defend its title.

As long as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are healthy, the Warriors are going to be a lethal offense, but there is no doubt that they are missing something with Wiggins out.

Under Kerr, the Warriors have won four NBA titles. The veteran head coach clearly knows what it takes for a title run, and he believes in his role players to step up when called upon this season.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball, football and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.

Published by
Peter Dewey

Recent Posts

Chandler Parsons: Jaylen Brown would be best player on over half of NBA teams, including some playoff teams

The Boston Celtics were without maybe their top player for Wednesday's Game 2 versus the…

2 hours ago

‘Spo gonna Spo’: Cavs player gives Erik Spoelstra his flowers after Heat’s near-upset in Game 2

The odds were stacked against the Miami Heat to pick up a win in Game…

3 hours ago

Report: Will Campbell landing with Patriots may depend on whether team gets ‘fair deal’ to trade down

As a consolation prize for a woeful 2024 season that was marred by losing, the…

4 hours ago

Report: ‘Most of the league’ has been contacted about Jalen Ramsey, including Rams, Lions and Eagles

Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey is one of the more notable players in the league…

5 hours ago

Report: Rival teams project Blazers as team to monitor for potential trades this offseason

The Portland Trail Blazers are watching the 2025 NBA Playoffs from home after they finished…

17 hours ago

NFC executive praises Shedeur Sanders’ ability to make difficult throws: ‘He’s got probably the best collection of those’

Former University of Colorado Boulder star quarterback Shedeur Sanders is projected by some to be…

17 hours ago