Steve Kerr reveals Andrew Wiggins' status for Warriors preseason debut vs Lakers
Golden State Warriors veteran Andrew Wiggins is yet to set foot on the court in the 2024 NBA preseason. The Dubs are undefeated after three preseason matchups, beating the LA Clippers and the Sacramento Kings twice ahead of Sunday's duel against the young Detroit Pistons.
Once that game is over, they'll get ready to face the LA Lakers twice before the start of the 2024-25 campaign. According to Kerr, Wiggins will make his preseason debut against the Purple and Gold at Chase Center on Tuesday.
Wiggins had been dealing with an illness that kept him sidelined for the start of preseason. Kerr announced that this week is important to see how Wiggins is doing and what type of lineups he can use with the Canadian forward fully healthy.
The Warriors aren't considered title contenders this season, especially after Klay Thompson left and joined the Dallas Mavericks. They brought in some new pieces, but compared to the rest of the West, they are two or three steps behind the top dogs.
Still, Kerr has big plans for Andrew Wiggins after a tumultuous 2023-24 season, where he averaged a career-low 13.2 points.
Steve Kerr explains his vision for Andrew Wiggins this season
Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors will have to prove themselves if they want to be considered legit contenders. The four-time NBA champion coach has already drawn a plan for Andrew Wiggins, as he wants the former No. 1 overall pick to expand his game.
"To me, I've already told him: six 3-pointers a game," Kerr told NBC Sports Bay Area on Friday. "He is a really good 3-point shooter. It was down a little bit last year, but since he’s been here, 39, 40 percent. I want a lot of 3s and I want a lot of attacks to the rim. He shot 80-plus percent from the foul line in the second half of the year last year.
"He looks really comfortable in every aspect of the game. And let's face it, with Klay gone, we need him to step up and be our second scorer after Steph, and we know he's perfectly capable of that."
Andrew Wiggins has never been considered a shooter, but the last time he attempted six 3-pointers a game (6.1 per game in 2022-23), he made 39.6% of his shots. His 3-point attempts decreased last season to 3.6 per outing, so Kerr wants to see the 2022-23 version of Wiggins or even better this year.