Why Andrew Wiggins' fresh Heat start doesn't erase Steve Kerr, Warriors history
03/26/2025 03:25 PM
MIAMI – While Jimmy Butler’s return to face the Miami Heat was the most talked about storyline of the game on Tuesday night, one can’t forget about Andrew Wiggins playing against his former team in the Golden State Warriors. The Heat newcomer would reunite with his former teammates and coaches after the game as he spoke more about how it felt to see them again since the blockbuster trade before the deadline.
In the contest where Miami dominated Golden State, 112-86, Wiggins would have just 10 points on four of 13 shooting from the field, but he would also have five rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and two steals. He would say to ClutchPoints that it was a good experience seeing his former team again and it “felt better getting the win.”
“Felt good, you know, felt good,” Wiggins said. “Some friendly competition at the highest level. I spent a lot of years there, great organization. I loved it there. So, you know, felt good, felt better getting the win.”
Asked Andrew Wiggins about reuniting with his former teammates and coached on the Warriors.
"Felt good. Friendly competition at the highest level…loved it there, felt good, felt better to get the win…" #HeatNationpic.twitter.com/1BV0jio1vv
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 26, 2025
Always good to see your former coaches & teammates pic.twitter.com/jNtY42o8cH
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) March 26, 2025
With the storylines involving Wiggins and Butler, the former would admit that the game felt different in regards to the energy from both teams. However, it always comes with the territory whenever a squad faces a former teammate or vice versa.
“For sure. I mean, you can sense it on both sides,” Wiggins said. “When you play a former teammate or former team, there’s always the extra little motivation.”
Andrew Wiggins would admit there was an extra boost of energy on both sides in regards to Jimmy Butler returning and himself facing his old team. #HeatNationpic.twitter.com/Iynt8pWydY
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 26, 2025
Heat’s Andrew Wiggins on the relationship with Steve Kerr
Someone who has said time and time again that they missed Heat star Wiggins was Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and it was no different Tuesday night. Before the start of the game, Kerr would say that Wiggins was “one of ten best human beings I’ve ever been around” and when the 30-year-old forward spoke of his former coach, it was nothing but being grateful for putting him in “position to be successful.”
“Coach Kerr is a great guy. He’s a great coach. And, you know, he ja ust, he put me in position to be successful,” Wiggins said. “You know, some great years there, won a championship, was an all-star, you know. And he helped put me in a position to do that. And you know, even off the court is a great guy.”
Andrew Wiggins on the impact Steve Kerr had on his career. #HeatNationpic.twitter.com/kA5jrfMJRN
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 26, 2025
Steve Kerr calls Andrew Wiggins "one of the best human beings I've ever been around." Explained how tough it was to hear he was traded. #HeatNationpic.twitter.com/X7409zjWp9
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 25, 2025
Erik Spoelstra on Andrew Wiggins making the Heat “different”
Wiggins has already made a huge impact for the Heat as in the contest before against the Charlotte Hornets where the team snapped a 10-game losing streak, he scored 42 points which is the second highest in his career. While Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro led the way against Butler and the Warriors, Wiggins still made a presence in filling up the stat sheet as head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke again on how he makes the team “different.”
“When he’s out there, he just makes us totally different,” Spoelstra said. “This is what we wanted to see and it was just one of those things…we never really got into the kind of flow that we wanted to right out of the gate. But, you can see how he compliments everything we do on both sides of the floor. He’s a weapon.”
“He’s been a number one option before, he’s been a great championship-level number three option,” Spoelstra continued. “You know, we need him to be something more. That’s not better or worse, that’s just what we need. And then we need them to take all these challenges defensively, those steals, deflections, the blocks. But the more games we get together, I think you’ll just see some of the continuity just kind of happen naturally.”
Erik Spoelstra says once again how Andrew Wiggins makes the team "different." Spoke also about how underrated Tyler Herro was this game. #HeatNationpic.twitter.com/12ac43YMpp
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) March 26, 2025
Miami is 31-41 which puts them 10th in the Eastern Conference as the team looks for three straight when they face the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night.
The post Why Andrew Wiggins’ fresh Heat start doesn’t erase Steve Kerr, Warriors history appeared first on ClutchPoints.
