Andrew Wiggins missed four consecutive games for Golden State and he has addressed his absence for the first time.
Wiggins rejoined the team on Tuesday and whilst he kept the details of his absence under wraps, he thought it was the right time for him to return.
“I had to take care of what I had to take care of, be present for that and then when I think it’s an appropriate time to come back, that’s what I felt like,” Wiggins said in his first media call since being away. “I’m back here with the team and ready to get to it.”
Although he has returned, the personal matter hasn’t been resolved by the sounds of it.
“But I just have to take it day by day,” Wiggins added.
During the four games Wiggins was away, the Warriors went 3-1 and he is optimistic about the rest of the franchise’s season.
“We’re on the rise,” Wiggins told reporters Tuesday. “We found something good. Found that identity that we were searching for. We put pieces together that worked, and it’s been special last few games. Everyone is play well, playing together, and we look like the real Golden State Warriors.”
Last week, NBA insider Shams Charania revealed that the forward was “tending to a serious family matter”.
Before Wiggins rejoined the team, his teammate Draymond Green stuck up for him and urged fans to give their support.
“I think there’s plenty of guys that don’t know what’s going on,” Green said on 95.7 The Game. “With Kawhi Leonard [in San Antonio] I didn’t want to pry about his injury if he didn’t want to tell me. But, it’s tough as a team because you have to be the middleman of trying to answer questions for somebody. There are going to be a ton of questions, it could be a distraction. But, you have to move with sensitivity and empathy because you never know. I hope fans stick with Wiggins.”