Steve Kerr Thinks Warriors Can Win 2023 NBA Title Without Andrew Wiggins If Needed

Can the Golden State Warriors win their second straight NBA title in 2023, even if All-Star Andrew Wiggins does not return?

"I think so. I really believe in this team," head coach Steve Kerr told The Athletic's Tim Kawakami.

Wiggins has not played since February 13 because of personal reasons.

Kerr named the return of Gary Payton II, who made his season debut for Golden State last weekend, and the improved play of Jonathan Kuminga, whose minutes have climbed in Wiggins' absence, as reasons Golden State remains a threat without Wiggins.

"If you look at last year's team, we had the two on-ball defenders in Wigs and Gary," Kerr said. "And you plug JK into that Wigs spot now. It's not as seamless as it was a year ago because we had a whole season together and we had all that rhythm and continuity, but I do feel good about our chances just with the talent that we have and the experience that we have."

Before his latest absence, Wiggins had already missed 20 of the Warriors' first 49 games because of an adductor strain, a foot injury and illness.

It's difficult to build up momentum with such a scattered playing time, but Wiggins continued to average 17.1 points per game. In November, he, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson became the first trio in NBA history to rack up the most three-pointers in a single game (23).

Kerr confirmed to Kawakami that it is not health issues keeping Wiggins from the court this time.

"He's fine. He's healthy and he's working out," Kerr said. "But he has to have the space to do what he needs for his family, and we're supporting that."

As Curry put it this month, "life is bigger than basketball." That's the mindset the Golden State Warriors are taking toward Wiggins' extended absence.

"I know we've all talked publicly about we're giving Andrew the space he needs to deal with something that's incredibly serious and difficult, and that's really the only thing that matters," Kerr said. "The door's open for him if and when he's ready. And if not, that's fine, too. In the end, we all love Andrew and we're concerned about his well-being more than anything. So we're supporting him."

Wiggins was arguably second only to MVP Stephen Curry in powering the Warriors to win it all last year. He was second on the team with 7.5 rebounds and tied for the lead in blocks per game (1.0) throughout the postseason, and the 6'7" forward was instrumental in shutting down leading Celtics scorer Jayson Tatum in the 2022 NBA Finals.

Kerr will lean on Payton's continued recovery from the injury revealed in his post-trade physical and the growth of Kuminga's two-way game in order to cover for Wiggins' absence from the starting lineup as the Warriors begin to prepare for a 2023 playoff run.