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Andrew Wiggins will not play for the Golden State Warriors on Thursday against the New York Knicks. It will be his second straight missed game this season due to personal reasons. The former All-Star’s absence is reportedly indefinite.
Wiggins’ situation is nothing new. Last season, he sat out 25 games for reasons the Dubs and the versatile forward chose to keep private. Given what happened during the 2022-23 campaign, Warriors fans are wondering when they will see “Wiggs” again.
Mychal Johnson, Wiggins’ longtime girlfriend, had a cryptic story on Instagram that only added to the speculation about the player. The post contained Rihanna, who looked like she was watching a game before turning to somebody behind her in the crowd.
Johnson captioned the post:
“It’s a slow turn too 'cause what was it you were saying? Say that one more time”
What Mychal Johnson was driving at is unknown, and whether it's related to Andrew Wiggins’ absence is anybody’s guess.
This season, when the former Rookie of the Year winner struggled, she tweeted to say that she needed her “space.” Wiggins was consistently blasted on social media for his poor performances.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr recently said about Wiggins’ situation on “95.7 The Game” that the player once again asked the team to keep matters confidential, a request that the Dubs honored. Kerr’s last words, though, will not likely ease the anxiety of the team’s fans:
“We respect Wiggs. We need him back, and we fully expect him back, but we just don’t know when that will be.”
Andrew Wiggins’ uptick in form along with the emergence of Jonathan Kuminga are two reasons why the Warriors have surged in the standings.
They are 10-3 in February, their best month record-wise this season. After their 123-112 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, they took over the LA Lakers for the ninth spot in the Western Conference.
The Warriors will have to re-adjust while waiting for Andrew Wiggins’ return
Until February, the Golden State Warriors had been having a roller-coaster ride despite Steph Curry being largely healthy.
One of the toughest adjustments the Warriors had to make was to play Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga together in the starting lineup. It was a disaster at first that Kerr said he wasn’t going with that partnership again.
Draymond Green’s return from suspension, though, gave Kerr another opportunity to try the combo once more. With Green directing the Dubs on both ends, there was a much better connection between the two forwards. Wiggins’ play improved, and Kuminga’s emergence continued. Suddenly, the Dubs consistently showed flashes of their championship form.
With Andrew Wiggins shelved indefinitely for personal reasons, Steve Kerr and his players will have to re-adjust. Warriors fans will hope that it will not take long for them to do som as they are in a tough fight for a playoff spot.
