No Warriors’ megadeal forces Wiggins, Kuminga under spotlight

No Warriors’ megadeal forces Wiggins, Kuminga under spotlight originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Assuming the core of the roster stays intact over the next 19 days, the Warriors will open training camp with only two players, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, assured of being starters.

We know what Curry has done and still can do. We know what Green has done, most of which he still can do – when available.

What neither we nor the Warriors know is what they will get from Andrew Wiggins, who has a 99 percent chance of starting. The same applies to Jonathan Kuminga, who would seem to have at least an 80 percent chance to start.

If Curry and Green are available and playing at their customary level, any reasonable chance of the Warriors getting back to the 50-win mark for only the second time since 2019 is dependent on either Wiggins and Kuminga – perhaps both – performing at or near All-Star level.

Too much to ask? Maybe. But it shouldn’t be.

Wiggins has been an All-Star, being voted in by fans as a Western Conference starter in 2022. He responded by reaching his peak a few months later, becoming a driving force as the Warriors rolled through an impressive postseason that concluded with an NBA Finals victory over the Boston Celtics.

Wiggins during those playoffs gave Golden State marvelous defense while averaging 16.5 points, on 46.9-percent shooting, and 7.5 rebounds. It was a sterling 22-game stretch as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 draft stayed focused and shed much of his reputation as a chronic underachiever.

In the two seasons since, Wiggins has regained most of that reputation. His production has dipped and, more detrimental to the Warriors, he has missed 56 games, mostly for family reasons.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr has stated on numerous occasions that the shooting guard/small forward positions of Klay Thompson and Wiggins are interchangeable. They’re of similar size, with Wiggins the better athlete. Klay is the more natural shooter, Wiggins more of a slasher. Thompson’s departure to Dallas opens a door for Wiggins to walk through.

Wiggins, 29, knows he’s not the five-time All-Star…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/no-warriors-megadeal-forces-wiggins-184407442.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-09-11 18:44:07

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