Getty Andrew Wiggins of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors have run into some injury problems. After a slow start to the season, they picked up the pace, but injuries to Andrew Wiggins and Stephen Curry have slowed down their progress. And now, they’re going to have to simply keep their heads above water.
To make matters worse, just as they were about to get Wiggins back, he ran into another problem. Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported on the issue on Tuesday night, noting that Wiggins was set to come back, but an illness will delay his return to the court by multiple games.
“Andrew Wiggins has been cleared to return from his adductor strain. Warriors planned for him to play tomorrow vs Jazz,” Slater tweeted. “But he’s come down with an illness and will miss tonight and tomorrow. Here is Steve Kerr on it.”
Wiggins emerged as one of the best two-way players in the league last year, giving the Warriors a major boost during their championship run. He was named to his first All-Star team – as a starter, no less – and earned a big-time extension this past offseason.
Before he got hurt, Wiggins was putting up some impressive numbers this season. He’s appeared in 22 of the team’s 34 games this year and is playing 32.8 minutes per contest. Wiggins is averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 51.1% shooting from the field and 45.0% shooting from beyond the three-point arc.
Stephen Curry Making ‘Good Progress’ With Recovery
While Wiggins is staring a setback right in the face, the Warriors still have a little while to wait for Curry to return. The superstar point guard is the fulcrum of everything Golden State does, and without him, they’ve been forced to adapt on the fly.
As reported by Kendra Andrews of ESPN, however, Curry is making “good progress” in his recovery and will be re-evaluated by the team in “two weeks” (from December 24).
“Stephen Curry is making “good progress” on his left shoulder subluxation, Warriors say. He will be re-evaluated again in two weeks,” Andrews tweeted.
The star guard was putting up MVP-caliber numbers before he went down. Curry has appeared in 26 of the team’s 33 games and is playing 34.4 minutes. He’s averaging 30.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 6.8 assists on 50.0% shooting from the floor and 43.4% shooting from beyond the three-point arc.
Draymond Green Urges Warriors to Stay Mentally Tough
Being forced to play without Wiggins and Curry is a tall order for the Warriors, who were struggling a bit even before those two went down. Draymond Green recently called on the team to stay mentally tough, noting that they’re in a “fragile” state.
“You start going through these things and then you start believing them. Once you start believing them, it becomes who you are,” Green said, per ESPN’s Kendra Andrews. “The only way to break them is by being mentally tough.”
Golden State currently sits at 16-18 on the season, placing them right on the brink of the Play-In race. If they can maintain that position while Curry and Wiggins are out, they should be in a solid place.