Andrew Wiggins' nagging right adductor strain seems to be fully healed. All indications suggest he's no longer suffering the illness that kept him out of the short-handed Golden State Warriors' back-to-back home wins over the Charlotte Hornets and Utah Jazz earlier this week.
Does that mean Wiggins is playing on Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers? Unfortunately, he's still listed as out on the Warriors' official injury report with a non-COVID illness. After participating in 3-on-3 action at the practice facility on Friday morning, though, Wiggins' long-awaited return seems firmly on the horizon.
Steve Kerr told reporters during pregame media availability that he's hopeful Wiggins will be back in the lineup on Monday against the Atlanta Hawks.
Golden State's unofficial policy is that players who miss time must participate in at least some practice action before returning. Barring a setback in his recovery from illness, we'll likely see Wiggins against the Hawks.
He last played played in the Warriors' blowout win over the Houston Rockets on December 3rd, exploding for 36 points and eight three-pointers, yet another indication of Wiggins taking his offensive game to new heights in 2022-23. The initial expectation was that he wouldn't miss much time, but Wiggins even ended up missing Golden State's romp of a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Christmas, a game that had previously been targeted for his return.
The 27-year old would have been back on the floor against Charlotte on Tuesday if he hadn't come down with an illness. Wiggins was seen getting up jumpers at the practice facility while wearing a mask the following day, but wasn't cleared to play versus the Jazz.
Wiggins is averaging 19.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season, shooting a scorching and career-best 45.0% three-point range. Golden State has gone 5-7 in his absence, including a three-game home winning streak leading up to Friday's matchup with Portland.
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