Steve Kerr continues huge (and perhaps unwarranted) faith in one Warriors player

Two years removed from a career-best All-Star worthy season, few believe that Andrew Wiggins can fully return to that level where he was the second-best player on a Golden State Warriors championship-winning team.

Wiggins is coming off a career-worst season which saw him average almost four points less than any other year since he entered the league in 2014. Yet despite that and a minor illness that's seen him miss the opening three preseason games, the talk out of Golden State continues to be incredibly positive when it comes to the former number one overall pick.

Steve Kerr continues to place high expectations on Andrew Wiggins

After a turbulent time over the last two years which included the passing of his father last month, you could understand if the Warriors were limiting expectations on Wiggins at least to start the season. Instead, they're doing the absolute opposite, with head coach Steve Kerr outlining major expectations for his veteran forward.

While many believe Jonathan Kuminga is the natural successor to be Golden State's second-leading scorer after the departure of Klay Thompson, Kerr has repeatedly pushed Wiggins as the man to take that mantle.

"He looks really comfortable in every aspect of the game," Kerr said recently to NBC Sports Bay Area's Kerith Burke. "And let's face it, with Klay gone, we need him to step up and be our second scorer after Steph, and we know he's perfectly capable of that."

Is the faith actually warranted though? Is Wiggins truly capable of being the second-leading scorer on a team that makes the playoffs? Even during his All-Star season in 2022, the Canadian was fourth on the team in scoring behind Stephen Curry, Thompson and Jordan Poole. It was his defense that was arguably more valuable, not to mention he randomly turned into a rebounding beast during the playoffs.

Kerr has previously referred to Wiggins as a 20-point per game scorer, even though he's never averaged that mark during his time with Golden State. He also wants the 29-year-old to take six three-point attempts each game which would be a significant jump from the 3.6 he averaged in 2023-24.

Kerr's level of optimism is sure to infiltrate throughout the fanbase, but it could also set Wiggins up for failure given the clear expectations the head coach has set. Wiggins could return in Sunday's game against the Detroit Pistons, yet is more likely to feature in the final two preseason games against the Los Angeles Lakers once he scrimmages with the team early next week.