Andrew Wiggins emphatically broke out of his recent slump during the Golden State Warriors‘ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday (Nov. 18). The veteran forward hit five of his eight 3-point shots en route to a 31-point performance, almost matching his season tally for total 3s made.
During his postgame media availability, Wiggins revealed he never lost confidence in his abilities despite his slow start to the season. Instead, he tried to affect the game in other ways, such as rebounding or operating as a point-of-attack defender.
“Lose confidence? No,” Wiggins said. “I know what I can do and what I’ve done since I’ve been here. Just playing within the system, playing with these guys, and just knowing what I can do. Being confident in myself. Shots not falling, you’re in a funk, I just keep shooting, and try to do the little things on the court.”
Given the Warriors’ struggles, Wiggins’ re-emergence as a potential scoring threat couldn’t have come at a better time. Golden State’s offense has looked toothless at times, especially when Steph Curry isn’t on the court.
Wiggs stayed confident in himself and it paid off tonight 💯 pic.twitter.com/gldulP4vyB
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 19, 2023
However, Wiggins will need to string some impactful scoring nights before we can say he has turned a corner and is ready to produce at a high level. Wiggins is the type of player that feeds off his offense. If his shots are falling, his defense appears to improve, and so does his motivation levels.
Steve Kerr hopes his championship-winning forward is ready to begin producing at a high level. If that is the case, the team’s losing streak could be ending.