Getty Andrew Wiggins of the Golden State Warriors.
As the Golden State Warriors prepare to fight for their playoff lives on Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, Andrew Wiggins‘ status for Game 6 is up in the air. The Dubs forward sustained a fracture to his ribs in Game 5 and is listed as questionable for the showdown at Crypto.com Arena.
His teammate Gary Payton II spoke with reporters at Friday’s shootaround. Payton II discussed Wiggins’ injury, explaining that he hopes to see him suiting up for the Warriors.
“I hope to see Andrew when that clock hits zero & we’ve got to jump the tip…He’s working on it,” Payton II said via 95.7 The Game.
He was then asked about how the team will gameplan to defend LeBron James, should the Canadian wing be sidelined.
“We didn’t go over that so hopefully that means Wiggs is ready to go so hopefully we don’t got to worry about that,” Payton II responded.
“I hope to see Andrew when that clock hits zero & we’ve got to jump the tip…He’s working on it.”
Asked about how problematic not having Wiggins would be?
“We didn’t go over that so hopefully that means Wiggs is ready to go so hopefully we don’t got to worry about that.” — GP2
Payton II’s answer to the question regarding the Warriors’ plan for James is encouraging. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Kendra Andrews, Wiggins is planning on playing, but will have to test things out in pregame warmups.
“At this hour [3 p.m. ET], the belief is that Andrew Wiggins will try and play in Game 6 tonight, sources tell ESPN,” Woj said in a tweet. “As Kendra Andrews reports, he’ll go through his pregame routine and see how his costal cartilage fracture/ribs feel prior to tip. Regardless, shooting will be a challenge.”
Through the first five games of this series, Wiggins has provided solid scoring for the Warriors. He’s averaged 16.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 33.2 minutes per game. Wiggins has also been tasked with trying to slow down James, which is no simple task. Despite that, he has still had the energy to be efficient. The 28-year-old has converted on 47.7% of his attempts from the floor and 37.5% from beyond the arc.
Kevon Looney Discusses Andrew Wiggins’ Injury Ahead of Warriors Gm. 6
Warriors center Kevon Looney dealt with a similar injury to Wiggins, during the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. During Thursday’s shootaround, he explained how the ailment affected him when he had to play through it.
“I didn’t have to shoot the ball so,” Looney said laughing via 95.7 The Game. “It was just more of just a pain tolerance. Once I was able to get used to the pain, get used to getting hit in that area I was kind of fine. But, like I said I wasn’t really doing a lot of shooting. I was rebounding and doing what I normally do. So it limited me a little bit, especially when I got tired faster than I normally did.”
Kevon Looney on playing with a similar rib injury (during 2019 Finals) as Andrew Wiggins
“I didn’t have to shoot the ball soo…”
Looney said pain tolerance was the number 1 issue he faced. Added he also got tired a little quicker playing with it.
Anthony Davis ‘Expected to Be Available’ For Game 6 vs. Warriors
On the other side, Lakers star Anthony Davis also picked up an ailment in Wednesday’s Game 5. Davis had to be wheeled off the floor, after Looney inadvertently hit him in the head.
Though the injury looked to be substantial at the time, it sounds like “The Brow” should be good to go for Game 6. Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported the news the day prior.
“Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis (head injury) is expected to be available for Game 6 on Friday barring a setback,” Haynes tweeted on Thursday, citing league sources.
Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis (head injury) is expected to be available for Game 6 on Friday barring a setback, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport.