Andrew Wiggins back with Warriors after 4-game absence
Wiggins spent a week away from the Warriors because of personal reasons

>Golden State Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins #22 picks up a loose ball in the
first quarter of their NBA game against the LA Clippers at the Chase
Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024. (Jane
Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Danny Emerman is a Bay Area News Group sports reporter
By DANNY EMERMAN | demerman@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: March 5, 2024 at 1:53 p.m. | UPDATED: March 5, 2024 at 3:52 p.m.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/05/andrew-wiggins-back-with-warriors-after-4-game-absence/?utm_email=C48194BCC43175077509046E00&lctg=C48194BCC43175077509046E00&active=yesP

SAN FRANCISCO — When Warriors’ practice opened to the media Tuesday at
12:50 p.m., all eyes — and cell phones — quickly pointed to Andrew Wiggins.

Wiggins, the starting forward who has missed the past four games for
personal reasons, took 3-pointers on the left-side basket and went
through light shooting drills. He arrived back in San Francisco on
Monday after spending a week away from the team and is set to play
against Milwaukee on Wednesday, head coach Steve Kerr said.

“Being around the team, it’s all love and support,” Wiggins said. “It’s
a family here. When I was (out), I missed the guys and obviously
basketball. Happy to get back.”

With Wiggins returning, Chris Paul already back from his fractured hand
and Brandin Podziemski recovered from a minor knee injury, the Warriors
will be at full strength against the Bucks for the first time since they
turned their season around in an 11-3 February.

Moments before practice opened, The Athletic reported that Wiggins would
return to the team this week. That made his presence at practice have
significantly less shock value. The Athletic had previously reported
that Wiggins was dealing with a “serious family matter.”

Wiggins didn’t describe what pulled him away from the team, but said
he’s excited to be back with the Warriors and to return to the court.

“Just taking care of what I had to take care of, being present for what
I have to be present for, and when I think it’s an appropriate time to
come back, that’s what I felt like,” Wiggins said. “So now I’m back here
with the team and ready to get to it.”

Asked if whatever personal issue that required him to leave the team has
subsided, Wiggins said, “Not exactly, but you’ve got to take it day-by-day.”

The 2022 All-Star is averaging career lows in points (12.7) and assists
(1.7) per game this season, but had an uptick in production before his
absence. In February, Wiggins shot 47.5% on 3-pointers and 50.4%
overall, finding much more rhythm than earlier in the year.

Last year, Wiggins missed two months of the season due to personal
reasons. Neither he nor the Warriors disclosed why, with the team opting
to respect the player’s privacy.

That was the same this time around during Wiggins’ much shorter absence.
While Wiggins was away, he maintained communication with Kerr and head
trainer Rick Celebrini. He was a full participant in practice on Tuesday
and will likely start against the Bucks. But it’s impossible to simulate
NBA game speed, so it’s possible Wiggins will be on a minutes restriction.

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“I don’t care about the basketball part,” Kerr said. “Life is way more
important than the game, and so the main thing is: If any of our players
has a life situation where they need to be with their family, that’s
where they’re going to be. And you just want everybody to be OK and give
them the space they need. That’ll always be the case for the way we
operate.”

With Wiggins back, Moses Moody will shift back to a reserve role, though
he did enough to earn regular playing time. In four spot-starts, Moody
averaged 12 points and four rebounds per game, shooting 50% from the
field and 40% from 3. The team also praised his defense, particularly
against New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson.

Jonathan Kuminga, Moody, Wiggins, Podziemski, Klay Thompson, Lester
Quinones and Gary Payton II give the Warriors a deep group of versatile
wings with varying skill sets. They’ve been a big reason why the
Warriors — despite getting drubbed in Boston to end a 3-1 road trip —
have surged since the All-Star break.

“Found that identity that we were searching for,” Wiggins said. “Putting
the pieces together that work, and it’s been special the last few games.
We’ve put something good together and everyone’s playing well, playing
together. Looking like the real Golden State Warriors.”