SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Andrew Wiggins He is set to return to the court for Golden State for the first time in over two months when the defending champion Warriors opened the playoffs against Sacramento Kings.
Coach Steve Kerr said Wiggins will be active for Game 1 of the first-round series on Saturday night after missing the last 25 games of the regular season to deal with an undisclosed family matter. Kerr did not provide any details on how he plans to use Wiggins.
Wiggins returned to the teamEarlier this month and he’s been practicing for just over a week. Now he is ready to return to the field to play a match for the first time since February 13th.
The Warriors have supported Wiggins during his long absence and are excited to have him back as a mainstay in the postseason.
Wiggins played a huge role in Golden State last season, averaging 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in the playoffs, while also playing a key defensive role.
He signed a four-year contract extension in October to be fit for the long haul with the Warriors but only played 37 games all season. He missed three games with left foot soreness, another 10 with a strained right groin, seven games with a non-COVID illness, and then the last 25 games for the family.
He averaged 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in the regular season.
“We don’t expect him to be rusty,” said Kings coach Mike Brown. “We don’t expect anything less than he brought to the table when he played this year. … We expect him to be ready to play.”