A big reason that the Golden State Warriors have experienced some up-and-down performance during the 2023-24 NBA regular season has been the constant shuffling of their lineup. Head coach Steve Kerr has had to deal with injuries and suspensions, as the Warriors haven’t been whole very often this season.
Recently, it looked like they would be turning a corner. Chris Paul returned to the lineup after a 21-game absence this week and Gary Payton II has also gotten healthy. Draymond Green has been able to avoid any more suspensions, remaining in the lineup as well.
Unfortunately, right as things look to be turning around, the team is faced with another obstacle. Starting small forward Andrew Wiggins is going to miss his second consecutive game on Thursday night when Golden State travels to take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Wiggins is dealing with a personal family matter and is currently away from the team. How long this absence will be is anyone’s guess. Kerr opted against providing any details, wanting to keep the matter private for Wiggins.
“Don’t know,” Kerr said, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “We’ll obviously respect Andrew’s wishes for this to remain private. Personal reasons.”
This is the second straight season Wiggins will have been away from the Warriors for a personal matter. He missed the final 25 games of the 2022-23 NBA regular season to attend to the matter, returning right before the NBA Playoffs got underway.
He didn’t miss any postseason games, playing in all 13 the Warriors had and averaging 34 minutes per game. Last season, there were only a handful of people within the organization who knew what Wiggins was dealing with, and Kerr was one of them.
That dynamic remains the same this time around, as Kerr is in touch with Wiggins but isn’t providing anything beyond they expect him back at some point. With Wiggins out of the lineup, Kerr turned to Moses Moody.
Moody was previously buried in the rotation but has a chance to receive regular minutes for as long as Wiggins is sidelined. Things could change, as Paul and Klay Thompson are both coming off the bench currently, but for now, they are expected to stay in those roles with Moody in the starting five.
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