by Warriors coach Steve Kerr is confident Andrew Wiggins can turn things around in the 2024-25 NBA season.
Just two seasons removed from his 2021-22 All-Star campaign, the Warriors forward has not been able to replicate that success since. He missed a lot of time over the past two seasons due to his father’s illness, which Kerr knows has taken a toll on the 29-year-old.
But following the death of Wiggins’ father this summer, Kerr believes the forward is fully focused on basketball again and is in good shape for the new season.
Speaking with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke, Kerr shared his expectations for Wiggins in the upcoming 2024-25 season.
“Well, I’m not going to quantify it, I’m just going to emphasize the aggressiveness and the peace of mind that I’m seeing right now,” Kerr told Burke. “It has been a brutally difficult two years for Wiggs and his family since his father recently passed away. I hope his father’s death brings some peace.
“I know from experience that this happens over time. If Wiggs has a sense of freedom and some peace of mind and his family has his back, which he always does, he’s an incredible person and an incredible athlete, and he’s 29.” He’s in the middle of his prime, so I think this will be a great year for him.
While Kerr doesn’t want to put a number on things, he has set the bar high for Wiggins during a time of change for Golden State.
With franchise icon Klay Thompson now playing for the Dallas Mavericks, the Warriors are looking for their second scorer behind Steph Curry. Will it be Jonathan Kuminga? Brandin Podziemski? New Warriors Buddy Hield or De’Anthony Melton?
For Kerr, it has Be Wiggins.
“I already told him: six 3-pointers per game,” Kerr said. “He’s a really good 3-point shooter. Last year it went down a little bit, but since he’s been here it’s down to 39, 40 percent. I want a lot of threes and I want a lot of attacks to the rim. He shot 80-plus percent from the foul line in the second half of last year.
“He seems really comfortable in every aspect of the game. And let’s be honest, with Klay gone, we need him to be our second goalscorer after Steph, and we know he’s fully capable of doing that.”
Wiggins will continue to sit out the Warriors’ preseason due to illness, but once he returns, whether in time for the preseason finale or the regular season opener, Kerr is excited about Wiggins’ impact this season.
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