SALT LAKE CITY – The Warriors’ search for a second-leading scorer behind Steph Curry took center stage throughout the offseason, especially after they were unable to pair him with an established star like Paul George or Lauri Markkanen. Coach Steve Kerr was quick to point the finger at Andrew Wiggins and declare that the 2022 NBA All-Star is scoring 20 points every night in the prime of his career at age 29.

And in the Warriors’ season opener, Wiggins looked ready to take on that role, efficiently scoring 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting and 4-of-7 from 3-point range. But in the second game of the regular season for the Warriors, Wiggins couldn’t buy a bucket.

He took four shots in the first quarter and connected just once. Wiggins then had three more shot attempts in the second quarter and missed all three. His scoring numbers in the first half were just two points on 1-of-7 shooting. However, when Wiggins is at his best, his game is about much more than just scoring.

Another factor from the 2022 All-Star campaign that led to a Warriors championship was highlighted Friday night in Golden State’s 127-86 blowout over the Utah Jazz on the road: Rebounding.

Wiggins came down with 10 rebounds in the first half alone, five offensively and five defensively, which is his most ever in a half of his career.

“You feel it,” Draymond Green told NBC Sports Bay Area. “You know immediately when Wiggs is aggressive. And if he isn’t, we’re all after him, to understand that we need him to be aggressive. He made his presence felt from the gate which was huge for us as they struggled to get to the board to start the game.

Kerr’s new starting lineup of Curry, Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis struggled early for the second straight game. The Jazz also outsmarted them. When Kerr called his first timeout, the Warriors were down 15-6 at 6:27 of the first quarter and the Jazz (12) already had seven more rebounds than the Warriors (five). Wiggins was substituted just over a minute later and did not return until there were seven minutes left in the second quarter.

In those seven minutes, Wiggins was a beast on the boards. Although he was held scoreless, Wiggins was a plus-6, largely because he had eight rebounds in those seven minutes.

“I liked Wiggs’ first half because he attacked but nothing happened,” Kerr said. “He wasn’t making any shots, but he kept playing so hard. And again, that tone, what I’m most happy with through the first two games and preseason, is how hard our guys are playing from the first minute to the last, and Wiggs is a big part of that.

The game rewards heart and hustle. Wiggins’ first shot attempt of the second half was cash, a result of Curry busting his tail defensively, which led to Wiggins hitting a three-pointer from the left wing.

Steph’s lockdown defense leads to an easy Wiggs three 😤 pic.twitter.com/JwAhYjJo6u

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 26, 2024

He missed his next attempt, but that didn’t stop him from doing the dirty work. After another defensive rebound from Wiggins, basketball at its purest, with the ball zooming down the court and barely being dribbled, yielded another three points for Wiggins.

Buddy with the no-look assist from Wiggs 😲 pic.twitter.com/D3dQ6awEtz

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 26, 2024

“He got loose balls, he was active and I think that carried over into the second half where he was able to make some shots and get to the rim,” Kevon Looney told NBC Sports Bay Area. “We just want him to be aggressive in all facets of the game, and he can impact the game with more than just scoring.”

The Jazz’s starting lineup consists of two 7-footers in Markkanen and Walker Kessler. On the Warriors, no player is taller than 6-9. Powered by Wiggins’ nose for the ball, the Warriors defeated the Jazz 60-45.

Wiggins’ 13 rebounds were not only a game-high for both teams, but also his new career high for the regular season, surpassing his previous best of 11. The last time Wiggins rebounded to such a level was in the 2022 Finals, when he averaged 8.8 rebounds in the six-game series.

With the Warriors down two games to one, Wiggins went off for a 17-point, 16-rebound performance in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics to tie the series at two games apiece. Curry was the hero of Game 5, although Wiggins wasn’t far behind. To give the Warriors a lead in the series, Wiggins not only scored 26 points, but also had 13 rebounds.

Until Friday night in Utah, he had not achieved these rising numbers in either of the past two seasons.

“That’s huge. It’s huge for this group,” Green said. “Sometimes we have some height issues, so to know that our wings bounce back like that… is a telling sign of his aggression. This team has always needed him to be aggressive, but I think that’s even more the case now.

“So 13 rebounds, that signals a lot of energy that he brings to the floor, and that’s huge.”

There is no clearer sign of where Wiggins is mentally on the court than how he attacks the rim and the glass. The way he performed against the Jazz says it all, and the Warriors will continue to push the reserved, soft-spoken Wiggins to never turn down the volume to make his presence heard and felt in any way possible.

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