What’s on the NBA rumor table today? Kyrie Irving-Lakers pitch, the highly anticipated return of Andrew Wiggins and some spicy Zion Williamson drama.
Tell a friend, Andrew Wiggins is back. He may not be a starter in Game 1 of the Golden State Warriors-Sacramento Kings first-round playoff series.
The Warriors star hasn’t played since February 13 due to a family-related absence, but Wiggins returned to the Bay Area at the end of March and looks set to join the team just in time.
The looming question is, will he be part of the starting five or will he sit on the bench?
NBA rumours: Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins to follow in Steph Curry’s footsteps
Wiggins himself spoke a little about his situation ahead of Saturday’s game and said he would “wait and see”.
“I’ll have to wait and see. But I would understand if (Steve Kerr) said he wanted me to come off the bench. I haven’t been here long, so I would have understood. You can’t say anything about that,” he said. Wiggins told NBC Sports.
The striker also made a funny quip about how Steve came off the bench last year… “What? Steve can do that, but I can’t?”
Wiggins got the jokes.
In all seriousness, Wiggins is following a similar path to the playoffs as Steve Curry did last season, when Curry suffered a sprained ligament in his foot and was out for four weeks. Curry was not allowed to play until the day before the first game of the Warriors’ first-round first-round series against the Denver Nuggets; He did not regain his starting spot until the fifth game.
Wiggins has missed nearly twice as much time as Curry, and he’s not yet medically cleared.
His absence wasn’t injury-related, unlike Curry’s, so he should have a higher chance of making it into the starting line-up sooner rather than later. It will be up to Steve Kerr and the Warriors coaches when to hint.