© Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
We are approaching three weeks of the Warriors playing without a center, and for the most part, they’ve been able to survive. After James Wiseman sprained his wrist at the start of February, the team was left with Kevon Looney as their lone true front court option. In that first game without Wiseman, against the Celtics, Looney sprained his ankle, leaving the Warriors to turn to Juan Toscano-Anderson at center, with the 6’7″ Andrew Wiggins as the tallest player on the roster.
Since that game against Boston on February 2 without Wiseman, and when Looney went down, the Warriors have gone 5-5. They’re 11-9 outside of that stretch. While it hasn’t mattered in some games, it did on Friday night, when the Orlando Magic’s Nikola Vucevic dropped a 32-point triple-double.
Wiseman was re-evaluated on Thursday, with the team stating that he’s made “good progress” and could possibly return on the road trip, which finishes in Indiana on February 24 after games against the Hornets and Knicks.
On Saturday, Steve Kerr said it’s, “a real possibility” that both Wiseman and Looney could return against the Knicks on February 23. The team will practice on Monday when they will identify where the two are at in their recoveries.