JJ Redick gives damning assessment, proclaims the Warriors won't win the West without Andrew Wiggins

The Golden State Warriors have struggled to find a consistent rhythm throughout the season with injuries and a lackluster bench unit. With only five games remaining in the season, the Warriors are making a strong push to finish off their regular season but are sorely missing their All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins.

Wiggins last played on Feb. 13 against the Washington Wizards, when he had 29 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Since then, he has not been with the team due to personal family matters.

On ESPN's "First Take," JJ Redick talked about the Warriors' chances of winning the West.

"(The Warriors) are not winning the West without Andrew Wiggins," Redick said. "He was too valuable for them last last year in their finals run, particularly in the Western Conference finals and the NBA Finals."

Redick said that he understands the Warriors' preference in securing the sixth seed in the West for matchup purposes. The sixth seed will allow the Warriors (40-37) a playoff run without meeting the Phoenix Suns (40-35) in the first round as they look to have Kevin Durant back into the lineup. It also allows a second round matchup without having to go against the best team in the west, the Denver Nuggets (51-24).

However, Redick also argued that if the Warriors secure the sixth seed heading into the playoffs, the team enters a tough first-round meeting with the Sacramento Kings (45-30), who are the No. 1 offensive team in the league at a 118.9 rating.

"That's going to be a tough matchup for the Warriors. You don't have home-court," Redick said. "You've been the worst road team all season long. You can't defend 3s on the road. Sacramento is fifth in made 3s, seventh in attempts, eighth in 3-point percentage. They are a really good 3-point shooting team."

As for the Warriors defense, the Sacramento matchup is a series where they could use Andrew Wiggins' presence. This season, the Warriors had a defensive rating of 114.2 with Wiggins in the lineup. But since he's been out, they have fallen to a 116.9 rating.

With Draymond Green being the primary defender for Domantas Sabonis in the power forward position, Andrew Wiggins could have been the go-to defender to matchup against De'Aaron Fox. Redick talked about how De'Aaron Fox will be able to take advantage of the Warriors' lackluster defense, especially on the road, to create multiple scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates.

High-octane offense between the Warriors and the Kings

For a potential first-round meeting between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings, high-octane offense will be one of the focal points of the matchup.

The Kings have the No. 1 offense in the league at a 118.9 rating, while the Warriors only have the 14th-best offense at a 114.4 rating. However, the Warriors do have the sharpshooting "Splash Brothers" in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson who can outshoot any team on any given night.

With the scoring prowess of Curry and Thompson, with Jordan Poole coming off the bench, that scoring alone could rival the shooters available for the Kings in Keegan Murray, Kevin Huerter, Malik Monk, Davion Mitchell and Harrison Barnes.

A potential head-to-head matchup for these two teams is shaping up to be one of the most electric first-round series in the playoffs as both teams are eyeing a deep run to reach the NBA Finals.