Warriors: How Andrew Wiggins’ forgotten rib injury is messing up 2023-24 season

With a 19-23 record, the Golden State Warriors have had an unpleasant season, and Andrew Wiggins has played a significant role in those problems. After becoming an important part of their rotation over the previous few seasons, Wiggins has regressed dramatically this year, to the point where supporters are clamoring for him to be permanently benched in favor of Jonathan Kuminga.

Wiggins’ numbers have been horrible all season (12 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 1.5 APG, 42.7 FG%), and everyone is asking what is causing his continuous problems. According to reports, a rib ailment suffered by Wiggins in last year’s playoffs may still be affecting him now, not because it bothers him, but because his lengthy recovery interfered with his usual offseason preparation.

“People often forget that in Game 5 against the Lakers, he broke his ribs. He sustained a six-to-eight-week injury that would require a two-month recuperation.That had a significant impact on his offseason, since he was unable to play as much basketball. He arrived at camp utterly out of sync and struggled early in the season. His handle was rather slack. The shooting statistics are the worst they’ve ever been throughout his career.” – Michael Scotto, Hoopshyp

Wiggins battled through the playoffs for the Warriors last season, but it may have inadvertently contributed to his demise this season, since he did not have as much time to prepare for the season as he usually does. Wiggins has never appeared to be in a consistent rhythm this season, which could ultimately be attributed to his offseason regimen, or lack thereof.

You can’t entirely blame Wiggins for needing to recuperate from an injury, but you would think that now that we’ve passed the halfway mark of the season, he’d be able to work things out and play at his usual level. Instead, that hasn’t happened, and with Golden State’s season on the verge of collapse, chants for Wiggins’ head are unlikely to go away anytime soon.