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Golden State Warriors Wing Andrew Wiggins handles the ball during a game against the Phoenix Suns.
The Golden State Warriors have weathered their battle with a league-wide COVID-19 outbreak better than most. On Christmas Day, the club outlasted the Phoenix Suns and then moved up to number 1 in the west. This win was the sixth in seven attempts by the Warriors.
That is not to say that Golden State did not suffer major losses on the squad front. On December 26th, Draymond Green – who is in the middle of a potentially all-star campaign – became the newest warrior to meet health and safety protocols.
On Monday, Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins cleared both protocols, pro The Shams Charania and Anthony Slater from The Athletic. However, players have different statuses for the Warriors’ battle with the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.
As noted by Slater, Wiggins is not listed on the team’s injury report for the Nuggets game. As such, he is expected to be available for the first time since losing 27 points and scoring five threes in Golden State’s December 17th win against the Boston Celtics.
According to Warriors coach Steve Kerr – via Slater – The 22-year-old wing should return to the team’s training facility before the game. However, he will likely not be available to play against Denver.
Per Slater, the schedule for his return will be set once he has some work to do and the team is more fit. Players usually have a run-up period after leaving the logs to ensure they are cardiovascular free and in game shape before they return.
Although the Warriors were able to continue their winning streak without them, Wiggins became and Poole from the club still sorely missed. Both players have career years in 2021-22.
In 29 games, Wiggins puts up the kind of line we’d like him to do. He currently averages 18.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest. However, it scores more efficiently and poses a greater threat from a great distance – as well as at close range – than ever before.
At this point in time, it shoots a total of 49.1% off the ground, 72.4% on attempts within one Meters around the tire and 42.2% out of the three-point range. All of these numbers represent new career highs. Poole has scored 17.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game in 28 games, all of which beat his previous bests.
Wiggins and Poole were particularly effective when taking the court shared. To date, the Warriors outperform their opponents by 12.2 points per 100 possessions with both players on the ground. This is the team’s fourth-best mark among the two-man team combinations with over 300 minutes combined.
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