Surprise: Iguodala returns to action! Wiggins is a strong maybe!
Surprise: Iguodala returns to action! Wiggins is a strong maybe!
lighter schedule makes for a perfect time to ease back into action
The Golden State Warriors are still waiting for Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins (more on that in a moment), but life is full of surprises. Instead, it’s the unexpectedly sudden return of veteran Andre Iguodala that is the storyline ahead of today’s game against the Orlando Magic. But he’s not alone! All indications are pointing towards a likely return for Andrew Wiggins as well - he’s listed as Probable on the team’s latest injury report.
Those are some nice, timely reinforcements for a Warriors team that has risen all the way up into 6th place in the Western conference, despite not even playing games over the past two days!
GAME DETAILS
WHO: Golden State Warriors (20-19) vs. Orlando Magic (14-25)
WHEN: Saturday, October 7th, 2023 // 5:30pm PDT
WATCH: NBCSBA
Mid-season roster upgrade incoming!
Assuming Iguodala dusts himself off and comes off the bench for the Warriors tonight, this is the sort of trade deadline move that is perfect to bolster Golden State’s roster. Iguodala is the guy that can shore up many of the gaps in the Warriors roster. Coach Steve Kerr has referred to Iguodala as a safety blanket on more than one occasion - and it’s for good reason. Whether he’s shoring up the second unit ball handling, or supporting the defense in the absence of Draymond Green, Iguodala is going to help in a lot of ways… assuming he can stay healthy.
It’s probably no coincidence that Iguodala is returning to action during this week; a stretch that features a pair of games separated by two days off between each.
But it’s not just Iguodala. Andrew Wiggins is also poised to come back! Compared to Iguodala, this is definitely the more significant move here. Wiggins plays a larger role, and though the team has done admirably filling in his roles and responsibilities, the real deal has been sorely missed.
One final note on the roster.
The Warriors have also been waiting for another big player to return to action. So it is with a gigantic sigh of relief that Dub Nation reads the news about the imminent return of none other than Stephen Curry, breaker of ceilings and master of the deep ball.
Treading water update: it’s going swimmingly!
When Curry went down, the Warriors were one game above .500. When it happened, it was pretty clear that the remaining roster’s primary objective was simply to tread water. About one month later, it’s fair to call the experiments a rousing success.
Before we get into the personal side of the equation, it’s important to point towards the rest of the western conference. It’s a mess out there. A glorious, beautiful mess!
A lot has come together for the Golden State roster. Edges that were rife with question marks are now full of checkmarks. Klay Thompson has taken over more than his fair share of games over the course of his career, but over the past couple of weeks, he’s gone back to the well and reminded everyone that he still has that elite gear to shift into. At this point in his career, I expect it to be a little harder to call on; but man oh man does it feel good to know the magic is still there.
Funnily enough, the Warriors’ biggest hop upwards in the standings occured over the past two days - when the team wasn’t even playing! But here they are, all the way up in the 6th seed. Still hovering right around the .500 mark, the rest of the conference has been kind enough to meet them in the middle.
Prediction
It’s always tricky reintegrating players back into the lineup after the roster has been humming along so well without them, but there’s no stopping the feel good vibes if Wiggins and Iguodala are indeed back tonight. Another win tonight for a Warriors team that is building momentum.
postgame surprise: https://dubnationhq.com/p/re-introducing-warrior-wonder
That was ala 2015 playoffs vs Memphis