Author: Monojit Mandal
Golden State Warriors player Andrew Wiggins had the chance to close out the game in Game 1 against the Sacramento Kings, but missed the shot that would have put his team up by two points. Sacramento’s defence collapsed on a Donte DiVincenzo drive, leaving Wiggins free in the corner. It’s hard to say whether the kick would have taken place a year ago, but there wouldn’t have been much room for doubt.
Wiggins’ absence from the game for an extended period of time due to a personal family situation was not debatable, as players, like all of us, have personal lives. During the game, however, his obvious exhaustion was on display. Wiggins would have been the obvious choice to guard Kings standout De’Aaron Fox or Monk under normal conditions because of his agility and length, which Curry, Thompson and Jordan Poole lack. Even so, having not played since February 13, Wiggins was not in his usual form.
Wiggins scored 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting in the first half, along with 3 rebounds and 3 blocks, including one on Fox. At halftime, the Warriors were leading 61-55. Despite Wiggins’ early success, the Warriors’ fatigue became a problem as the game went on. Wiggins’ strength should help compensate for the team’s ageing core.
In this Warriors-Kings series, no player has had a bigger X-factor than Wiggins. The game pits the NBA’s most decorated team of the last decade against the league’s most zealous rookie. Wiggins, on the other hand, is an unknown in the series due to fatigue and a lack of recent playing time. In the past, the Warriors have overcome greater challenges than the Kings, but their core is aging, and Wiggins should be one of the methods to mask that reality.
Wiggins’ performance in Game 1 was uneven. Although he was initially successful, his fatigue became a problem later in the game. It remains to be seen whether he can regain his best form for the rest of the series and help the Warriors beat the Kings.