The public isn’t sure why, but the Golden State Warriors have been without star player Andrew Wiggins for some time now.
He has been absent from his team due to an undisclosed personal reason and there is no timetable for his return.
However, almost everyone agrees that he likely will not play in any games in the postseason.
The Warriors have had their fair share of problems this season and the lack of Wiggins has hurt them.
But head coach Steve Kerr still has a lot of faith in their playoff chances even without Wiggins.
Speaking on the TK Show with Tim Kawakami, Kerr sounded optimistic.
When asked if Golden State can win a championship without Wiggins, Kerr said:
“I think so. I mean, I really believe in this team. I think the fact that we traded for Gary [Payton] and the way that JK {Jonathan Kuminga] has stepped up in Wigg’s absence…if you look at last year’s team, we had the two on-ball defenders in Wiggs and Gary. Plug JK into that Wiggs spot now, it’s not as seamless as it was a year ago…but I do feel good about our chances with the talent we have and the experience we have.”
My "TK Show" conversation with Steve Kerr — on this tumultuous season, Andrew Wiggins, James Wiseman and why this isn't an official "Last Dance" for the Warriors.
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To be clear, the problems with the Warriors go far beyond the loss of Wiggins.
They have a number of big issues that haven’t been resolved yet.
But Wiggins brought a special brand of offense and defense that really did help the Warriors, especially in the playoffs last season.
During that time, Wiggins averaged 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds.
The good news for Kerr is that his team and coaching staff have had plenty of time to prepare for a postseason without Wiggins.
He played his last game for the team back on February 13 and it’s been clear for some time that he won’t be returning soon.
The Warriors will miss Wiggins in the weeks ahead but Kerr believes they still have a real shot at success without him.
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