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Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr sent a message of support to Andrew Wiggins despite pulling him out from the starting lineup.
“[It’s] Not easy for him,” Kerr told reporters after the Warriors fell short against the Los Angeles Clippers 121-113 on Thursday, December 14. “I don’t think he’s ever come off the bench other than the one playoff game last year when he came back from being away. So this is not an easy time for [Wiggins] but I know who he is. I know his character and I believe in him.”
Wiggins scored nine points on 4 of 9 shooting off the bench. He added three rebounds and one block in a foul-plagued 22 minutes off the bench. He committed five fouls.
“I thought he was great the way he approached it,” Kerr said of Wiggins. “He brought energy. He got on the floor for loose balls, he was guarding Kawhi [Leonard] out there and giving us the length and athleticism that we needed. But he handled himself beautifully because that’s who [Wiggins] is. He’s a great teammate. Great Pro.”
Leonard went 1 of 2 against Wiggins. Overall, the Clippers shot 5 of 10 against the demoted Warriors forward.
Andrew Wiggins’ Debacle
This season, Wiggins is averaging 12.0 points on 41.4% shooting, his lowest scoring average since his rookie year. His sharp decline was jarring since he played a pivotal role in the Warriors’ title run two seasons ago.
Last year, Wiggins missed 22 games to attend to his ailing father, former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins.
He’s never been the same player after that personal crisis.
Steve Kerr Explains Lineup Shuffle
Replacing Wiggins and the suspended Draymond Green in the starting lineup were rookie Brandin Podziemski and third-year forward Jonathan Kuminga.
“It felt like we needed a shift,” Kerr said of his decision to shuffle the rotation. “I feel like Brandin gives us the extra playmaker on the floor in the starting lineup. Obviously, he’s a great rebounder, competes excellent defender, and then JK deserves the minutes with Draymond out.
“It’s a perfect time for [Kuminga] to step in and it feels like a group that can really connect and then I like being able to bring Chris [Paul] and Dario [Saric] off the bench to really anchor that unit.”
Podziemski struggled from the field, connecting on just 2 of 11 attempts for four points. But he and starting center Kevon Looney led the Warriors in rebounding with seven each. The moxy guard also added three steals and two assists for good measure.
Kuminga was the lone starter, who ended up with a positive net rating. The Warriors outscored the Clippers by five points per 100 possessions during his first official start. He ended up as the team’s third-leading scorer with 15 points and stuffed the stats sheet with five rebounds, one assist and one steal against only a single turnover.
Despite the loss, Kerr still believes in the depth of their roster.
“We got a deep team, bringing [Wiggins] off the bench with Moses [Moody]. We have some guys. These are damn good players. So I think we’re deep and I think we’re gonna we’re gonna make a little run. I really believe that,” Kerr said.
Kerr added he will stick with this new starting lineup for a few games before making further evaluations.
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