Andrew Wiggins will likely play 20-25 minutes off the bench for the Golden State Warriors on Saturday in their series opener against the Sacramento Kings, according to The Athletic's Anthony Slater and Shams Charania. This will be Wiggins' first game since Feb. 13; he was away from the team for more than a month because of a family issue.
If this plan sounds familiar, it's because this is exactly how the Warriors handled Stephen Curry's return this time last year. Curry had missed the final few weeks of the regular season because of a sprained ligament in his left foot, so, instead of throwing him into his regular role in Game 1 of the first round against the Denver Nuggets, he logged just 22 minutes off the bench.
In this one particular way, then, Wiggins is the new Curry. And Golden State has to hope that his ramp-up process is as successful. Curry wasn't quite himself in his first game back last April, but exploded for 34 points in 23 minutes in Game 2, leading Nuggets coach Michael Malone to call him "the greatest sixth man ever in the playoffs," which, I mean, yeah. Definitely. (Curry's minutes increased to 30 in Game 3 and 37 in Game 4, but he didn't rejoin the starting lineup until the fifth game of the series.)
In a perfect world for the Warriors, Wiggins will immediately turn the defending champs into the team that they were last season. Golden State went 44-38 in the regular season with a mediocre point differential (+1.7 points per 100 possessions), but, as Sam Quinn noted on this very website today, it was elite when its full starting five was on the floor. The Warriors need Wiggins' rebounding, athleticism and versatility, and, with Gary Payton II in the mix again, coach Steve Kerr will be able to use lineups that have not been available to him at any point this season.
"We've been trying to get to this point for a long time," Kerr told reporters Wednesday. "We've had an interesting season, to say the least. But now that we are here, and we've got both Wigs and Gary, it changes the dynamic of our team athletically. And just the puzzle and how it fits together. So it's great to at least have a shot. To be where we are and have a chance, this is all we wanted."
Kerr added that Wiggins "doesn't seem to ever fall out of shape" and "never seems to get tired." Seems promising!
