SAN FRANCISCO – After a rocky start to the 2023-24 NBA season, Andrew Wiggins is closer to the form many Warriors fans had hoped for, becoming the athlete who played a big role in helping the team win the 2022 championship. They're starting to look pretty similar.
Wiggins put together one of the best all-around games of the year on Wednesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chase Center, recording 22 points, 10 rebounds, one block and three assists as Golden State won 137-116. won.
Unlike previous games where Wiggins didn't seem to take shots, he was very active against the Grizzlies, making 9 of 14 from the floor and 4 of 6 3-point attempts. succeeded.
This is an encouraging sign for the Warriors, who have 14 games left in the regular season to strengthen their position in the NBA playoffs.
“I thought we did a better job tonight of getting him the ball in some situations,” Warriors manager Steve Kerr said. “There are some games where he gets a little lost in the shuffle. We've got to do a better job of putting him in positions to attack downhill.
“I thought that happened tonight. And he did a great job of recognizing what the defense was doing. He made some really nice passes. He rebounded well too. Great night for the Wigs. was.”
Jonathan Kuminga has taken most of the headlines with his consistent growth throughout the season, but acquiring and retaining Wiggins could be the key to Golden State's postseason hopes.
Wiggins was fine all night. He was very fluid offensively and was a big hit defensively as well.
He delivered one of the best plays of the game when he backpedaled under the Warriors' basket, coaxing a long pass from Draymond Green and flipping the ball into the hoop around two Grizzlies defenders. .
In other words, Wiggins looked almost the opposite of the player who averaged 12.7 points in the Warriors' first 51 games.
Green said the domino effect is beneficial for all of Golden State's players.
“With Wiggs’ aggressiveness and athleticism, he can collapse defenses or go for finishes when he drives to the rim, so it helps everyone,” Green said. “He was shooting the ball very well.
Wiggins' recent increase in points and shots came after he returned from a four-game absence in which he was away for personal reasons.
Wiggins did not elaborate on the reason for her departure, but her brother Nick hinted at it in an Instagram post earlier Wednesday. Nick was playing for the Indonesian team, but decided to leave, citing “serious personal issues in his home country”.
But since his return, Wiggins has played his best basketball of the season.
Over the past five games, Wiggins has shot 58.6 percent (34-of-58) and is more willing to shoot rather than pass like he did earlier this season.
“When you play a team like this, it's very easy to play this team and stop shots,” Green said. “Every move we make, we're going to find people who can shoot. So it's easy to get into a situation where you're like, 'Oh, I have to find those guys.' You have to be aware of that and avoid falling into it. If we find ourselves in such a situation, it sometimes ends up hurting us more than helping us.
“With him being aggressive like that, being able to start the offense, being able to run the pick-and-roll, being able to get into the block, that's just another option that we can go to. He's more than capable of creating offense for any team.”
Wiggins could be the key to the Warriors' bid to make the playoffs.
“As long as he's making shots, he's a good shooter and he's going to make quite a few shots,” Green said. “The important thing is just for him to be aggressive and make shots. If he makes shots like that and plays with that aggressiveness, we'll win a championship.”
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