It’s time to admit it. The Golden State Warriors are a bad team, now 12th in the Western Conference. A chief culprit for their poor play is former All-Star forward Andrew Wiggins, an 11-year veteran whose play has sunk to a career-worst level.
The 28-year-old forward is averaging career lows for points and assists (11.9 PPG and 1.3 APG) and snatching only 4.2 rebounds a game. His efficiency is equally troubling as he’s shooting just 42.2 percent from the field and a career-worst 29.7 percent from beyond the arc. His perimeter defense, a key asset during Golden State’s magical 2022 championship run, has significantly deteriorated, too.
Wiggins’ play could be crippling his trade value, although longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein said on his podcast recently the Warriors (17-19) “will be open” to offers.
“When I talk to other teams more and more, I’m hearing that there’s an anticipation now that the Warriors will be open to trading Andrew Wiggins, because Wiggins and [Jonathan] Kuminga, when they’ve played together, the Warriors would be the first to tell you it hasn’t gone well,” he said.
Following an embarrassing 133-118 loss to the Toronto Raptors (15-21) at home, the Warriors are just 2-5 in their past seven games. Six of those games were played at home. The organization finds itself at a crossroads, and change is desperately needed.
Aside from the internal politics of benching a four-year, $109 million contract, there’s no justification for Golden State playing Wiggins over 21-year-olds Kuminga and Moses Moody. Both have been better players this season and have more potential for growth on the court.
Kuminga has scored double-digits in 16 consecutive games and his rim pressure is unmatched by anyone else on the team. Moody shines anytime he gets into the rotation, which doesn’t happen enough due to head coach Steve Kerr’s questionable and sometimes foolish decision-making.
Except for (maybe) Kevon Looney, a limited offensive player, Wiggins is the worst offensive player in Golden State’s rotation. He doesn’t consistently finish at the rim anymore, has no playmaking ability and seems to have lost confidence.
In a striking display of efficiency, Moody racked up 21 points in just 22 minutes against the Raptors, shooting an impressive 7-for-9 from the field. In stark contrast, Wiggins was terrible, scoring three points from 1-of-6 shooting in 17 minutes, culminating in a game-low plus/minus of -29, an alarmingly low number.
Wiggins, a former No. 1 overall pick, has scored 20 points or more only four times in the 32 games he’s played this season.
Over the season, Wiggins is a team-low minus-150 plus/minus, meaning the team has been outscored by 150 points when he is on the floor. He significantly trails Looney, who is second with minus-62. Notably, Golden State has outscored opponents by 157 points when Wiggins sits.
These numbers paint a clear picture of just how bad Wiggins is playing. He isn’t the same player he once was. It’s time for the Warriors to bench Wiggins and spread his minutes between Kuminga and Moody.
![[GAME THREAD] 2024 NBA Play-In Tournament: Golden State Warriors (10) vs Sacramento Kings (9) 4/16/24 7:00PM PST](https://www.rawchili.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2AUdmoPk8Y3CuREsR2lQn08mHzvtUUYKB711T04Y9VY-400x336.jpg)
14 comments
Yes he’s playing bad and yes Moody should be getting his minutes but a lot of Moody’s point in the raptors game came in garbage time, just something to consider. He is better than Wiggs atm.
I also don’t think the trade rumors will be pushing him to play better, he’s just not the type of guy who thrives under that type of pressure imo.
No. His minutes are already somewhat reduced.
His trade value is very low. It’s negative compared to the contract. If you are set on trading him, DNP-CD’s will only lock in an even lower value. Playing him gives him a chance to get hot.
If you want to keep him, which I do, same thing. He won’t get better with zero game time. I don’t want to sell low, and before his personal issues he was better than either young guy, especially with Draymond there. Remember that JK is currently the starting PF and 27% from 3.
I’m sad but yea, it seems like the situation Wiggs is in with our team is no longer good for him or the Warriors. I know he took a team friendly deal (given how he’d been playing when he signed it) because he was happy here but things clearly have changed.
I don’t think there’s a way to fix it given the circumstances and it would probably be best for both parties if he was traded.
Why not send him to g league to find himself?
Yes, DNP Wiggins until traded or end of the season. Other stop-the-stupid recommendations:
* Play more Moody. He hustles, makes good decisions, and has shown he can rise to the occasion to make crunchtime shots.
* No more chucking threes!! Smart & boring 2-pointers beat heroic 3-point attempts. See: Shaun Livingston.
* TWO-HANDED PASSES!!! Everyone wants to make the one-handed Hollywood passes, but that frequently leads to turnovers.
* Quick and short passes, not cross court passes leading to more turnovers.
* On that note, cut the damn turnovers!!!
We can live with so-so defense as long as we’re taking smart shots on offense, but not if we’re turning the ball over so much. Back to basics basketball, P-L-E-A-S-E! Make CP3 proud during his absence.
He no longer has a motivator in the locker room.
Iggy gone. Mike Brown gone.
Allstar*
I’m convinced he’s injured.
There’s no way a player can suck this much unless he’s injured.
He’s not telling us that for whatever reason.
Haha. Well he’s benched.
It’s really sad. It felt like he broke out of his slump right before the car door incident.
This article is written like garbage fanfic content lmao
And yet, we have dudes in this very subreddit posting whole ass graphs explaining why Wiggins is better than Kuminga. Bruh!
There are four things that can happen:
1. This is probably the worst option. Kerr continues to play Wiggins and his play does not improve.
2. We bench Wiggins, essentially swapping his and Moody’s minutes. He has to earn his spot back.
3. We trade him to a team that believes in his potential to return to form and get a solid return. Obviously, the return won’t be anything ground breaking but it would allow us to move from his contract. Maybe we hold out in hopes he flashes his old self to increase his value before the deadline.
4. The warriors have to attach assets to dump Wiggins and his large contract.
Saric, TDJ > Kuminga when it comes to rim pressure.