The Golden State Warriors are entering the 2022-23 season feeling pretty good about their team. Even with the recent drama between Draymond Green and Jordan Poole, the Warriors are among the favorites to win the 2023 NBA Finals. The quest to repeat as champions will be hard, but if there is one team that knows how to pull it off, it's Golden State.

The Warriors boasted arguably the deepest roster of their recent dynastic run, and turned it into their fourth title in the past eight years after they beat the Boston Celtics in six games. Golden State has gone well over the luxury tax threshold, especially with recent extensions for Poole and Andrew Wiggins, ensuring that it is championship or bust once again for them this season.

The Warriors are led by their veteran trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Green, but none of these guys are the most important player for Golden State this upcoming season. The Warriors X-factor for the upcoming season may be a player who many wouldn't except it to be, so let's see who that player is and why he is so important for the Dubs this season.

Warriors X-factor: Andrew Wiggins

Andrew Wiggins has often struggled to live up to his billing as the first overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. Wiggins has always been a solid scorer throughout his career, but considering his status as a first overall pick, his play always left something to be desired. Despite that, Wiggins has quickly become a crucial part of the Warriors starting lineup.

Last season, Wiggins proved that he was the missing piece for the Warriors after they lost Kevin Durant in free agency to the Brooklyn Nets. Wiggins had slotted in at small forward ever since he arrived in Golden State, but last season was the first time he was playing on a Warriors team that was a legit title contender.

Wiggins had a solid campaign last season (17.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.2 APG, 46.6 FG%), and ended up being a surprise selection to his first career All-Star game. Wiggins isn't going to be the top option for the Warriors on offense, but he played a crucial supporting role alongside Stephen Curry all season long.

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Wiggins stepped up his game in the postseason, and was clearly the Warriors second best player behind Curry. Curry won Finals MVP, and deservingly so, but Wiggins' contributions in the Finals, in which he played a huge role in slowing down Jayson Tatum on the Celtics, cannot be overlooked. In the blink of an eye, Wiggins became an elite two-way defender for the Warriors, and was instrumental in helping them win all throughout the postseason.

If the Warriors intend on having a similar sort of success this upcoming season, they are going to need more of the same from Wiggins this upcoming season. Wiggins isn't the flashiest player on the court, but he's exactly what Golden State needs on both sides of the ball. He can create shots on his own when Curry is drawing extra attention, and he can play lockdown offense against the opposing teams' top wing players.

For the most part, you know what you are going to get from Stephen Curry. Thompson showed flashes of himself throughout the prior campaign, but he was very inconsistent, especially in the playoffs. Wiggins needs to be the second best player on the Warriors, just like he was last season, if they intend on going on a similar run this season.

That may seem like a bit of an exaggeration, but given the recent issues popping up for the Warriors, they need Wiggins now more than ever. No matter what people will say, there's going to be some tension in their locker room throughout the season as a result of Green socking Poole at a team practice.

Golden State also just handed Wiggins a new contract, which is largely predicated on his success from last season. The Warriors are handicapping themselves a bit by going so far over the luxury tax threshold, but if Wiggins performs, it will be worth it. If he struggles, though, Golden State is going to be in a lot of trouble moving forward. Heck, they likely already are, and just don't know it.

That's a discussion for another time, though. For now, the focus is on the 2022-23 season, and if you are looking for a player who could be the difference between winning and losing this season, Wiggins is your guy. He stepped up last season and helped the Warriors win a title. If he can do something similar this season, Golden State will have just as good a shot of winning it all as they did last season, highlighting just how important Wiggins is to the Warriors.