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As the Miami Heat lost a crucial game to the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night which had major play-in tournament implications, the bright side was that it was the return of star Andrew Wiggins from a hamstring injury. It's been a frustrating Heat stint for Wiggins as he's missed the last six games where he spoke after his return about how he feels coming out of the loss.
Heat's Andrew Wiggins on how he felt after the return
Wiggins played 27 minutes on Wednesday where he finished with 14 points on five of 10 shooting from the field, including three of six from beyond the arc, to go along with six rebounds, five assists, and a steal. He would say in the locker room to the media that he “felt solid” according to The Miami Herald.
“I felt solid,” Wiggins said about coming back from the hamstring injury. “If you’re out there on the court, then no complaints. You got to be 100 percent, so I felt good.”
Before Wednesday and including the last six games missed, Wiggins has been absent for 15 of the 30 contests for Miami since being traded from the Golden State Warriors. He's dealt with a myriad of issues since the deadline, though when he's on the court, he's been productive as after the defeat in Chicago, the 30-year-old is averaging 19.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from deep.
The former No. 1 overall pick also spoke about it felt “good being back” with his new teammates as he's been “putting in work” to get back healthy enough to push for a hopeful postseason run.
“Yeah. I mean, just rehabbing, putting in work, trying to fix, you know, the issue, and it feels good being back,” Wiggins said. “You know, the team fighting, it's a big game we lost, but just got to stay with it and believe in ourselves. And the journey is going to be a little harder, but it’s nothing that we can’t handle.”
Heat's Erik Spoelstra on the return of Andrew Wiggins
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Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra has praised Wiggins in the past and even said on many occasions that the star makes the team different on both sides of the ball. Looking at his performance against the Bulls, Spoelstra would say that Wiggins looked “better in the second half” as he was still getting adjusted coming back from the hamstring injury.
“He was better in the second half,” Spoelstra said of Wiggins. “And look, it’s not easy being out and then all of a sudden going back in. If you’re going back into a normal NBA game, he probably would have had a much better flow. This had a playoff feel to it, but I thought in the second half he was getting his legs underneath him. 27 minutes, we're fine. Trainers feel fine about that. I think he'll be, you know, much better going forward.”
Chicago took control of the pace from Miami in the contest leading to the loss which dampers the chances of the Heat hosting a play-in tourney game. Wiggins spoke about how the Bulls “plated more like a more desperate team and emphasized what the team will be focusing on.
“I mean that pace, they pushed the pace, they were playing faster, played like a more desperate team,” Wiggins said.
“You practice good habits. Practice good habits and the key thing is we need to win,” Wiggins continued. “You know, playing together, playing with pace, defensively, just staying locked in, staying connected for the big game.”
At any rate, Miami is now 36-44 which puts them 10th in the Eastern Conference.
