Author: Monojit
The Golden State Warriors have declared that All-Star forward Wiggins Andrew will probably be back in action for the first game of the playoffs, after missing the last 20 games of the official season due to a family problem. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Wiggins will come off the bench and play a restricted amount of time, mainly around 20 to 25 minutes, while he progressively reintegrates into Steve Kerr’s system.
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Wiggins’ absence initially created doubts about his return, putting pressure on the coaches to change the rotation and give other players more opportunities to step up. Donte DiVincenzo and Jonathan Kuminga, who knew the starting line-up and showed their knowledge, were two players who profited significantly from Wiggins’ absence.
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DiVincenzo averaged 10.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in the last 25 games of the official season, hitting 44.3% of his shots from deep and 36.8% from outside. Kuminga, on the other hand, has appeared in the last 22 games for the squad, averaging 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
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His entry was key in helping the Warriors prepare for their first-round playoff match against the Sacramento Kings. The defending champions will have a lot more firepower to compete with now that Wiggins is back in the line-up.
The Warriors ended the regular season with a record of 57-25, decent for 2nd place in the Western Conference and against the Kings club that finished 44-38 that yielded the 7th seed in the same.
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The first-round match-up between the two California units promises to be a thrilling contest, with the Kings eager to establish their worth against the strong Warriors. Golden State, on the other hand, will enter the series as clear favorites, led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, as well as Andrew Wiggins.
When the playoffs start, fans will be interested to see how Wiggins does in his first game back, as well as whether DiVincenzo and Kuminga can keep up their great play to help their team’s playoff push.