After a two-month absence from basketball, Andrew Wiggins shook the rust off against the Sacramento Kings in the Warriors' first-round NBA playoff series.
And with a Western Conference semifinals matchup versus the Los Angeles Lakers set for Tuesday at Chase Center, the Golden State forward told The Athletic's Sam Amick on Sunday that he's doing well considering the events of the past few months.
"I’m doing good. I’m in a good space," Wiggins told Amick in an exclusive one-on-one interview. "And I feel like I’m always level-headed, always in a positive mindset. I’m a private guy, so I feel life’s a little bit more peaceful when you’re private."
Wiggins took time away from the team beginning in mid-February to deal with a personal family matter. Upon Wiggins' return to the team in early April, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported, citing sources close to the situation, that the Warrior's prolonged absence came as his father, Mitchell Wiggins, deals with a serious medical situation.
Even as they fought to remain in NBA playoff contention during Wiggins' absence, the Warriors never pressured their star to return, offering nothing but support while declining to discuss details of the situation publicly. The way the Warriors handled the circumstances surrounding Wiggins strengthened his relationship with the organization, he told Amick.
"I’m forever grateful for what they did," Wiggins said.
Now, Wiggins is back. After a 2022 NBA Finals run where he was the best player on the Warriors' side apart from Steph Curry, the two-way star is confident he'll be up to speed in no time. He looked the part in the Kings series, averaging 18.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He knew his shot would be there, but time away has impacted his ability to get down to the other end of the floor.
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"I feel like in Game 1, once I scored a couple points, I was like, ‘Pffft, I’m back. I’m good.’ My feel for the game was still there," Wiggins told Amick. "My rhythm and my conditioning felt good enough to compete. So I think I’m only going to get [better], because my conditioning still needs to get better. I feel like there’s still more. I mean, last year I was picking up full court [defensively] the whole playoffs, and I didn’t do that yet. It’s coming though."
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It's coming -- music to Dub Nation's ears, especially with the Lakers waiting in the conference semifinals. As the Warriors look to defend their NBA title, Wiggins knows this group is more than capable of achieving what many pundits deemed impossible earlier in the season.
"Oh, a hundred percent we can [win another championship]," Wiggins told Amick. "We’ve got the pieces. We know we got the coaching for it. We’ve got the fans. I feel like we’re in good shape. I feel like this series has prepared us, because this was tough. It was a dogfight, every game. It was hard."
It's about to get even harder. But the Warriors -- and Wiggins -- are ready for LeBron James and the Lakers.