Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins (22) looks on before game five of the 2022 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics at Chase Center. Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Andrew Wiggins Breaks Silence on NBA Preseason Absence

Originally posted on Golden State Warriors on SI
By Joey Linn | Last updated Oct 8, 2024 9:09 PM ET

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins was held out of the team’s Hawaii training camp due to an illness. Wiggins also missed Golden State’s first preseason game against the Clippers.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has continued to say there is little concern about Wiggins and his availability for the regular season opener, but this has been a setback for him as he prepares for the new year. Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Wiggins broke his silence on the preseason absence.

“We’ve still got some time before the regular season starts and I’m back in practice now and going through everything,” Wiggins said. “… I was watching from the sidelines a lot in Hawaii so it wasn’t like I was getting left behind or anything like that.”

Andrew Wiggins practiced in full for the first time today & isn’t concerned about missed time hurting the start of his season:

“We’ve still got some time before the regular season starts and I’m back in practice now & going through everything… I was watching from the sidelines… pic.twitter.com/cNPN0q6zpi
— KNBR (@KNBR) October 8, 2024

This is encouraging to hear from Wiggins, because not only does he expect to be ready for the season opener, but he also doesn’t believe his preseason and training camp absence has set him back too far.

There has been a lot of talk about the Warriors needing Wiggins to get back to the 2022 version of himself. An All-Star in 2022, Wiggins averaged 17.2 points on 39.3 percent from three. Golden State won an NBA championship that season, and Wiggins was a big reason why.

Wiggins own career averages of 18.5 points and 4.5 rebounds.

This article first appeared on Golden State Warriors on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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