The Golden State Warriors have handled their brush with a league-wide COVID-19 outbreak better than most. On Christmas Day, the club outlasted the Phoenix Suns and subsequently moved into the No. 1 spot in the West. That win was the Warriors’ sixth in seven tries.
That’s not to say, that Golden State hasn’t incurred some major losses on the roster front. On December 26, Draymond Green — who is in the midst of what might be an All-Star campaign — became the latest Warrior to hit health and safety protocols.
More recently, though, the team got some good news on the coronavirus front.
On Monday, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins both cleared protocols, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Anthony Slater. However, the players have differing statuses for the Warriors’ Tuesday night bout with the Denver Nuggets.
Who Will Play Against the Nuggets?
As noted by Slater, Wiggins is not listed on the team’s injury report for the Nuggets game. As such, he’s expected to be available for the first time since he dropped 27 points and hit five threes during Golden State’s December 17 win over the Boston Celtics.
Poole’s situation is different, however.
According to Warriors coach Steve Kerr — via Slater — the 22-year-old wing was expected to return to the team’s practice facility ahead of the game. That said, he likely won’t be available to participate against Denver.
Per Slater, the timeline for his return will be determined once he gets some work in and the team has a better grasp on his conditioning. Players typically have a ramp-up period after exiting protocols to ensure they’re free of cardiovascular issues and in game shape before returning.
Green, Moses Moody and Damion Lee all remain in protocols for the Warriors
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Wiggins & Poole Have Given the Warriors One of the NBA’s Better Wing Combos
Although the Warriors were able to maintain their winning ways without them, Wiggins and Poole were still sorely missed by the club. Both players are having career years in 2021-22.
Through 29 games, Wiggins is putting up the kind of line we have come to expect from him. He’s currently averaging 18.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest. However, he’s scoring more efficiently and posing a bigger threat from deep — as well as close range — than he ever has before.
As of this writing, he’s shooting 49.1% from the floor overall, 72.4% on attempts within three feet of the hoop and 42.2% from three-point range. All of those numbers represent new career highs. Poole, meanwhile, has put up 17.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game over 28 appearances, all of which top his previous bests.
Wiggins and Poole have been particularly effective when sharing the court. To date, the Warriors are outscoring opponents by 12.2 points per 100 possessions when both players are on the floor. That’s the fourth-best mark on the team among two-man lineup combinations with 300-plus minutes together.
The three ranking above them all include Stephen Curry.
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Warriors About to Get a Major Boost on the Wing