When Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr pulled Andrew Wiggins out of the starting lineup, it wasn’t to punish him.
Instead, Kerr was hoping that he could inspire Wiggins to figure out how to help the team more and contribute in new ways.
On Sunday night, Wiggins certainly was inspired and he scored 25 points and 7 rebounds off the bench, helping the Warriors put the Portland Trail Blazers away.
After the game, he told NBC Sports that he has a desire to be a starting player again and will do whatever it takes to get there.
“If I want to get out of this little doghouse, I got to just keep fighting my way out,” Wiggins said.
"If I want to get out of this little doghouse, I got to just keep fighting my way out"
Wiggs is embracing the challenge of reclaiming his place in the Warriors' starting lineup pic.twitter.com/xPF8SXEQF3
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 18, 2023
That is the right sort of attitude from Wiggins and it shows that he is committed to playing better and assisting his team.
Wiggins has averaged 12.6 points and 4.5 rebounds so far this season and had a series of bad games before Kerr moved him to the second unit.
He didn’t take his transfer to the bench as an insult and is instead using it as a way to find more drive and determination.
He wants to remind his team, his coaches, and the fans what he is capable of.
Kerr’s decision to bench Wiggins was a risky one that could have gone either way.
It could have upset Wiggins and led to him playing worse, or it could have paved a pathway forward to him being better.
Wiggins is showing that he’s a team player and that his talent is still there.
If he continues to perform as he did on Sunday, he will be back in the starting lineup soon.
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