Andrew Wiggins is back. Sort of.
After missing 22-straight games dating back to the final game before the All-Star break on February 14, the Warriors’ star wing returned to the team on Tuesday.
He had been out due to a personal matter which he declined to delve into in a press conference before the Warriors’ game with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He will not play against Oklahoma City.
Much like his absence, the timeline for Wiggins’ return is unclear.
Steve Kerr said that Wiggins worked out on the court with assistant coach Jama Mahlalela and “went through some work” with director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini earlier in the day, but that he doesn’t yet have wider status report on his conditioning.
The 28-year-old said he got shots up in his time away from the team and lifted weights occasionally, but that he was focused on being there for his family, not his conditioning. Asked more specifically about where his conditioning is, he responded:
“Not terrible. I’ve been working out. Obviously the NBA is a different type of conditioning, but I don’t think it’ll be too long before I’m ready.”
Kerr said he has yet to have conversations about how Wiggins will be re-integrated into the lineup.
As for an acute timeline, he all but ruled out Wiggins making his return in the penultimate regular season game in Sacramento, against the third-placed, playoff-bound Kings.
“There’s no way he’s playing in the next few days,” Kerr said. “I can tell you that. But I think once we have an assessment over the next couple of days, we’ll have a better idea of when he might be able to play.”
That would leave the regular season finale, on the road against the Portland Trail Blazers — who have begun to rest most of their key starters like Damian Lillard — as the last game Wiggins could be involved in before the playoffs, or play-in, begin.
For now, the Warriors are still without Wiggins, and are running out of time to get him game time before the end of the regular season. Despite that ticking lock, the mood of Kerr and Bob Myers on Tuesday was relief; Wiggins is back in the building and will be back on the court at some point soon.