Wiggins hoping to rediscover rhythm
OKLAHOMA CITY >> Andrew Wiggins is hoping to get his season back on track after dealing with yet another impediment last week.
Wiggins had been working his way back to peak form earlier this month after missing substantial time with injuries and sickness. His most recent setback — a brutal head cold that was still giving him troubles Sunday — didn't help his cause.
“Being out for this is kind of annoying,” he told reporters after practicing, sniffling between his answers.
Wiggins is expected to be back in the starting lineup tonight against the Thunder after missing the past two games with a non-COVID illness. He was a full participant in practice Sunday at Chase Center before the team boarded a plane to Oklahoma City, and even “looked great” in a scrimmage, coach Steve Kerr said.
Kerr said Wiggins was probable for tonight's game, but the Warriors wing wasn't on the team's injury report, meaning he should be good to go. Meanwhile, Andre Iguodala remains out with a right hip strain. It's anyone's guess when he'll be back. Kerr referred all lines of questioning to the 39-year-old, who's played in only three games this season.
It's been a tough twomonth stretch for Wiggins, a player known for his durability. He was playing one of his best stretches of basketball before an injury and subsequent illnesses derailed his second career All-Star campaign.
A strained thigh muscle in early December sidelined
him for 11 games. Wiggins returned to practice and was on his way to getting back into the lineup, then trouble stuck again.
He got sick — not once, but twice.
When Wiggins was finally cleared, he was out for a total of 15 consecutive games, by far the most he's missed in his career, and he hasn't looked the same since returning to action.
Before his monthlong absence, Wiggins was shooting 51.1% from the floor and 45% from deep, while averaging three 3-pointers and 19.1 points per game. After sinking a career-tying eight 3s en route to scoring 36 points in early December, Wiggins said he felt like he was floating and shared his goal of trying to maintain an above 40% 3-point shooting clip.
But it's been a bumpy transition back. Wiggins previously admitted he felt like he was a step slow in his return and that his 3-point shot hasn't felt as fluid as it did before. Wiggins also hasn't attacked the rim as aggressively as the Warriors need him to, and his defense has waned, at times, as he tries to get his conditioning back to game speed against opponents already in midseason form.
“It's been a little tough,” Wiggins previously said. “Just finding my groove, finding my rhythm, just trying to get back in stride.”
In his past seven games, Wiggins averaged 12.4 points while shooting 34% from the field and 22.7% from outside.