The 28-year-old power forward, Andrew Wiggins, has proved himself to be a valuable asset to the Warriors. The 2022 championship run is the best example. Unfortunately, this season Wiggins is off to a slow start. Coach Kerr said the same in not so many words. But his team is still rooting for him.
And Kerr is confident that Maple Jordan will soon make a comeback. But none of the struggles he’s been facing on the court is enough to change Steve Kerr’s mind about starting lineups.
Kerr is adamant about his decision regarding Andrew Wiggins
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In a recent tweet, Kerr said, “There is ‘zero thought’ of changing the starting lineup.” And that he is, “not worried about Andrew Wiggins, whose game has been slow to arrive this season.”
Warriors coach Steve Kerr: There is ‘zero thought’ of changing the starting lineup. Reiterates that he’s not worried about Andrew Wiggins, whose game has been slow to arrive this season.
— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) November 11, 2023
This isn’t the first Coach Kerr has talked about Wiggs’ struggle on-court. After the Warriors loss to the Cavaliers on the 6th, Kerr had dispensed any worries. “Not worried about Wiggs at all, it’s just a slow start and he’s got a long track record,” he said. “He’s been with us for five years now, so he knows how we play. I can probably try to help him out a little bit with some things, but Wiggs will get there.”
The go-to lineup of Green, Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, and Looney has proved to be efficient many times over. So Kerr’s confidence in the lineup is understandable. With Green missing game time due to injury and Andrew trying to find his footing, it’s quite a cul-de-sac that Kerr finds himself in.
Wiggs’ troubles are not entirely his fault
The All-Star forward who played a key role in the Warriors‘ latest title win seems to have lost his mojo. But it’s not entirely his fault. Kerr has been trying out a lot of changes to the positions and the team philosophy in general. The 2021-22 season saw Wiggins trying to get to his spots and taking shots with defenders surrounding him. He was also quite brilliant in clutch time.
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The Maple Jordan’s main role this year is to catch and throw the ball in the corner, rather than attacking from the 3-point line. Another aspect that has factored into this whole scenario is the number of minutes he is on the court. The Warriors’ championship year saw Wiggs play an average of 31.9 minutes per game, in the 2022-23 season, he played 32.2 minutes, but when we come to this season, it’s just 25.7 minutes. Barely close to 30.
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With Chris Paul‘s arrival and an efficient bench unit under him taking off, Andrew has been flipped around in different rotations. And he hasn’t been able to find a rhythm in any of these circumstances. But that does not lessen his impact as a powerful defender or a competent 3-point shooter. As Kerr said, Wiggs will get there.
Do you think the Canadian will be able to repay the trust that his coach has placed in him? Or will Kerr’s confidence in Wiggins’ lead to poor results for the Dubs?