‘Aggressive’ Wiggins remarkable sign Warriors warmly welcome originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SALT LAKE CITY – The Warriors’ search for a second leading scorer behind Steph Curry took center stage during the offseason, especially after they couldn’t pair him with an established star like Paul George or Lauri Markkanen. Trainer Steve Kerr quickly pointed to Andrew Wigginsstating that the 2022 NBA All-Star is a 20-point scorer a night in the prime of his career at 29 years old.
And in the Warriors’ season openerWiggins looked ready to take on that role, scoring an effective 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting and 4 of 7 from 3-point range. But in the Warriors’ second game of the regular season, Wiggins couldn’t buy a bucket.
He took four shots in the first quarter and connected just once. Wiggins then had three more shot attempts in the second quarter, and missed all three. His first-half scoring numbers were a low two points on 1-of-7 shooting. When Wiggins is at his best, however, his game is about much more than just scoring.
Another factor of that 2022 All-Star campaign that led to a Warriors championship emerged Friday night in Golden State’s 127-86 blowout over the Utah Jazz on the road: Rebounding.
Wiggins in the first half alone fell with 10 rebounds, five offensive and five defensive, which is his most ever for a half in his career.
“You feel it,” Draymond Green told NBC Sports Bay Area. “You know right away when Wiggs is aggressive. And when he’s not, we’re all on him to understand that we need him to be aggressive. He made his presence felt right out of the gate, which was huge for us because they struggled to get on the board to start the game.”
Kerr’s new starting lineup of Curry, Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis struggled early for the second straight game. The Jazz also outworked them. When Kerr called his first timeout, the Warriors were down 15-6 at the 6:27 mark of the first quarter and the Jazz (12) already had seven more rebounds than the Warriors (five). Wiggins was substituted just over a minute later, and he didn’t return until seven minutes remained in the second quarter.
In those seven minutes, Wiggins was a beast on the boards. Although he was held scoreless, Wiggins was a plus-6, largely because he had eight rebounds in those seven minutes.
“I loved Wiggs’ first half because he was attacking but nothing was going,” Kerr said. “He wasn’t making shots, but he kept playing so hard. And again, that tone, what I’m most happy about through the first two games and the preseason, is how hard our guys play from the first minute to the last, and Wiggs is a huge part of that.”
The game rewards heart and hustle. Wiggins’ first shot attempt of the second half was a cash-in, a result of Curry busting his tail defensively that led to Wiggins hitting a 3-pointer from the left wing.
He missed his next attempt, though that didn’t stop him from doing the dirty work. After yet another defensive rebound from Wiggins, basketball at its cleanest with the ball zipping across the court and barely being dribbled turned into three more points for Wiggins.
“He was getting loose balls, he was active and I think that carried over into the second half where he was able to make some shots and get to the rim,” Kevon Looney told NBC Sports Bay Area. “We just want him to be aggressive in all aspects of the game, and he can impact the game with more than just scoring.”
The Jazz’s starting lineup has two 7-footers in Markkanen and Walker Kessler. The Warriors do not feature a single player taller than 6-9. Propelled by Wiggins’ nose for the ball, the Warriors outshot the Jazz 60-45.
Wiggins’ 13 rebounds were not only a game high for either team, but his new career high for the regular season, surpassing his previous best of 11. The last time Wiggins rebounded at a clip like that was in the 2022 Finals, when he averaged 8.8 rebounds in the six-game series.
With the Warriors down two games to one, Wiggins broke out for a 17-point, 16-rebound performance in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics to even the series at two games apiece. Curry was the hero of Game 5, although Wiggins wasn’t far behind. To give the Warriors a series lead, Wiggins not only scored 26 points but also had 13 rebounds.
Until Friday night in Utah, he had not reached those rebounding totals either of the past two seasons.
“That’s huge. It’s huge for this group,” Green said. “Sometimes we’re challenged a little high, so to know that our wings bounce like that… that’s a telltale sign of his aggression. This team has always needed him to be aggressive, but I think that’s even more so now.
“So 13 rebounds, that’s a sign of a great amount of energy that he brings to the floor, which is huge.”
There is no greater telling sign of where Wiggins is mentally on the court than how he attacks the rim and the glass. The way he did both against the Jazz says it all, and the Warriors will continue to push the reserved, soft-spoken Wiggins to never turn down the volume to make his presence heard and felt in every way.
