Could Andrew Wiggins Return To Warriors Before The Playoffs?

Not playing since February 13 for the Golden State Warriors due to personal reasons, Andrew Wiggins’ status for the remainder of the year, both regular season and playoffs, is in doubt.

When will Andrew Wiggins return for the Golden State Warriors, if he will even return this season?

This is what fans of the Golden State Warriors have been asking for weeks and still, the Warriors have not given any updates on his status, nor his whereabouts.

The team has been extremely respectful of Wiggins’ wishes to keep things private, as the All-Star forward continues to be away from the team due to a personal matter. With just five games remaining on their schedule in the regular season, it seems unlikely that Wiggins will be back with Golden State within the next week, but that does not necessarily mean he is done for the year.

The Warriors are remaining hopeful that Andrew Wiggins will return to the organization at some point in the coming weeks and head coach Steve Kerr backed this thought up recently.

Prior to defeating the New Orleans Pelicans 120-109 recently, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke to the media and gave some updates on Wiggins, stating that he has been working out on a "daily basis" and that the idea of Wiggins sitting out the remainder of the year is something the team has not discussed.

“We'd love to have him and hope that that does happen, because we want to be whole and I'm sure he wants to be a part of this,” Stephen Curry said after the team’s recent victory over New Orleans. “But when he walks in the door, it'll be when it's the right time for him. That's kind of the expectation at this point.”

Currently 40-37 on the season, the Warriors find themselves as the 6-seed in the Western Conference. They may only be one full game back of the Los Angeles Clippers for the 5-seed and within striking distance of the 4-seed in the conference, but the Warriors are also in danger of falling down into the Play-In region of the standings, as they only lead the 7-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves by one full game.

To make things more complicated, the Timberwolves own a tiebreaker over Golden State, meaning that Minnesota would get the nod for the 6-seed should the two teams be tied at the conclusion of the year, sending the Warriors to the Play-in Tournament.

A key secondary scorer on the perimeter, a high-impact defender and one of the team’s better rebounders, Andrew Wiggins is a vital part of the Golden State Warriors overall success. Without him, they have struggled against taller and lengthier teams and his lost production has been irreplaceable.

So could Andrew Wiggins possibly return before the playoffs for the Warriors?

This seems highly unlikely at this time, but the organization is remaining positive and they do believe that he will be back before time runs out this year.

The fact that Wiggins is remaining active and in peak condition suggests that he could be preparing to return to the Warriors and if he is able to come back within the next two weeks, he may not need to sit out games or anything.

Without him entering the playoffs, the Warriors will definitely have a tough time defending their recent title in 2022. However, if Andrew Wiggins returns for the team’s first-round playoff series and is ready to go, the Golden State Warriors will once again be title favorites in the Western Conference. 

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