Andrew Wiggins' return can push Warriors to NBA Finals, per Stephen A. Smith
Stephen A claims Wiggs' return can catapult Dubs to Finals originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Now that Andrew Wiggins reportedly is nearing his return to the Warriors, Golden State has emerged as a contender once again.
And with just one week left in the regular season, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith predicts the defending champions won’t just make a deep run in the playoffs, but claims they can make their fifth NBA Finals appearance in nine seasons.
“They can go to the Finals,” Smith said Tuesday morning on “First Take." “Now I’m not saying that definitely is going to happen because [Kevin Durant] is in Phoenix and Ja Morant is on a mission. I can’t dismiss those likelihoods or possibilities. But I can’t rule out the Golden State Warriors.”
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday, citing sources, that Wiggins is expected to be back with the team “early this week” after missing 22 consecutive games due to a family matter.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania later reported, citing sources close to the situation, that Wiggins’ extended absence was due to his father Mitchell dealing with a serious medical situation. The one-time All-Star plans to attend Golden State’s final home game of the season against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, Charania added.
“They haven’t had Andrew Wiggins,” Smith continued. “Andrew Wiggins obviously is an elite defender, an 18-points-per-game scorer, who can finish in the open court, who can score from the perimeter and can defend that’s an additional third weapon. So when you look at it from that perspective, with Klay Thompson and Steph Curry, we know what they are.
“Four-time champions. Four times! Six NBA Finals appearances. Steph Curry, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, the Warriors, the reigning, defending NBA champions. … It is entirely possible that the Golden State Warriors, despite this roller coaster that they’ve been on, could end up going back to the NBA Finals. It can not be dismissed.”
Smith also mentioned that given how wild the Western Conference is, nothing's off the table for really any team from the No. 4 to No. 12 seed.
The Denver Nuggets have been in first place since December but have been wishy-washy over the last couple of weeks. The Memphis Grizzlies have an agenda to prove with their star point guard Morant back in the mix. The Sacramento Kings are nowhere near finished writing their storybook season. And after being a 12th-or-worse seed for so long, the Los Angeles Lakers have jumped into the seventh seed within a blink of an eye.
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Still, Smith won't close the door on the defending champs, especially not with their second-best player in last year's NBA Finals.
Before his absence, Wiggins was averaging 17.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists. In the Warriors' playoff run to the Finals last year, Wiggins averaged 16.5 points on 46.9 percent shooting from the field, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 22 games.
