Warriors Coach Steve Kerr Makes One Thing Clear to Andrew Wiggins

Though Andrew Wiggins remains unavailable in the preseason due to illness, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has been hyping him up as the team’s second-best scorer after Stephen Curry this season following Klay Thompson‘s departure.

But for Wiggins to do that, Kerr made one thing clear to him.

“To me, I’ve already told him: six 3-pointers a game,” Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke. “He is a really good 3-point shooter. It was down a little bit last year, but since he’s been here, 39, 40 percent. I want a lot of 3s and I want a lot of attacks to the rim. He shot 80-plus percent from the foul line in the second half of the year last year.

“He looks really comfortable in every aspect of the game. And let’s face it, with Klay gone, we need him to step up and be our second scorer after Steph, and we know he’s perfectly capable of that.”

Wiggins had to recapture his old form after his 3-point shooting dipped to 35.8% last season. He was in and out of the starting lineup while averaging a career-low 13.6 points.

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Steve Kerr Hopeful Andrew Wiggins’ Father’s Death Bring Peace

Kerr believes Wiggins will have a redemption season.

“Well I’m not going to put numbers on it, I’m just going to put aggression and peace of mind, which I’m seeing right now,” Kerr told Burke. “It’s been a brutally difficult two years for Wiggs and his family, with his father passing away recently. It’s been trying for him. There’s no question his dad’s health impacted his play and impacted his well-being. As sad as it is, I’m hopeful his father’s death brings a little peace.

“I know, from experience, over time, that does happen. If Wiggs has a sense of freedom and some peace of mind and his family behind him, which he always does, he’s an unbelievable human being and an incredible athlete, and he’s 29. He’s right in his prime. So I just think this is going to be a great year for him.”

Wiggins’ mysterious absences were tied to his father’s battling sickness at the time.

Shams Charania, formerly of The Athletic, reported in 2022 that Wiggin’s father has been dealing with a serious medical condition, which explained the Warriors forward’s mysterious personal absences over the past two seasons.

Wiggins missed two months of the 2022-23 NBA season, then missed another four games last season. He also He canceled a business trip to China this offseason due to a family emergency, which was surmised to be related to his father’s medical condition.

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Andrew Wiggins’ Status Remains Unclear

Wiggins was spotted working out with the team’s second unit: Kyle Anderson, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II and Kevon Looney in one of their practices leading to the Warriors’ preseason win against the Sacramento Kings.

“We were just getting our ones in,” Wiggins told reporters. “Working on our game. Iron sharpens iron. We’re there to make each other better.”

His status for the remainder of their preseason schedule is still up in the air.

“I’ll be going when I think I’m ready,” he said.

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