There's still no timetable for Andrew Wiggins' return to the Golden State Warriors from an extended personal absence. Before his short-handed team's matchup with the Houston Rockets on Friday night, Steve Kerr told reporters that Wiggins will simply be back with Golden State once he's ready.
“When he's ready to come back, he'll come back,” Kerr said.
Wiggins is set to miss his third straight game on Friday due to a family matter. He was a surprise scratch for the Warriors' pre-All-Star finale against the LA Clippers, then remained sidelined for Thursday's tilt with the Los Angeles Lakers over a week later—a pair of blowout losses that reminded just how pivotal Wiggins' presence is to Golden State's success with or without Steph Curry in the lineup.
Wiggins was off to a stellar start offensively in 2022-23, emerging as one of basketball's most accurate spot-up three-point shooters while also putting up a career-high mark from two-point range, looking more comfortable than ever in the Warriors' system. His defense wasn't quite as airtight as it'd been during last year's title run, but there was no reason to believe Wiggins couldn't keep the switch flipped on that side of the ball once games really started to matter.
After exploding for 35 points and eight threes in a December 4th win over the Chicago Bulls, though, Wiggins was out for the next month due to an adductor strain and subsequent illness. He never quite found his footing upon returning to action on January 7th, then missed two more games with another illness in late January.
Wiggins' best game since coming back from the longest absence of his career came in a win over the Washington Wizards on February 14th, when he dropped 29 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Unfortunately, he hasn't played since, leaving Golden State absent another impact player as Curry works to return from a left leg injury.
The Warriors, a game below .500 entering Friday's action, are 10-10 without Andrew Wiggins this season.
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