GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 30, 2024

Andrew Wiggins

Media Conference

Q. Andrew, talk to me with the haircut. Got to start there.

ANDREW WIGGINS: I just wanted a clean look for the season. And you know, I feel like I might gain some years back.

Q. What have you been working on this summer? Obviously we know what happened with your dad and sorry to hear that. But what has been your development process over the last few months?

ANDREW WIGGINS: I mean, just getting my conditioning right -- shooting, ball handling, decision-making, just getting stronger.

Q. Steve and Michael both noted they feel an extra level of motivation this year. How are you feeling entering the season? How different from last year?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Very motivated. Just ready to get started and get it going.

Q. Andrew, could you explain what happened with playing versus not playing this summer in the Olympics?

ANDREW WIGGINS: What do you mean by that?

Q. You were, you know, on the training camp team, and then it seemed like you were going to play and then you did not end up playing.

ANDREW WIGGINS: No, I just had a little tweak. I tweaked my ankle and then training camp had started, so it was a little too late.

Q. Did you want to play?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Yeah, for sure. You know, I would love to represent my country.

Q. How different do you think this team and this locker room is going to be without Klay? Obviously such a huge presence, maybe not the loudest guy but a presence. How different is it going to be without him?

ANDREW WIGGINS: It's going to be different for sure, on and off the court. Klay is a big presence, and you know, when you think about Golden State, you think about Klay, you think about Steph, you think about Draymond. I feel like he'll always be that guy.

But you know, we are all going to miss him and we know he's going to do great great things over there.

Q. In the off-season, did you stay in contact much with your teammates, staff, Draymond and those guys? Anything you talked about -- plans for the year that you hoped for, that kind of thing?

ANDREW WIGGINS: We check up on each other. You know, see how everyone is doing, how their summer is doing. But not like crazy, crazy chitchat.

Q. Do you feel like you have to score more for this team this year with Klay gone?

ANDREW WIGGINS: More than last year for sure.

Q. Do you feel like you were lost within the offense last year or just had a bad year? I guess a combination?

ANDREW WIGGINS: All of the above.

Q. Following up on that, when you look back two years ago, how productive you were on that championship team and in the past years, what needs to happen to get back to that level for you?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Stay competitive. You know, stay on top of my game. Stay motivated. And every time I go on the court just believe in what I can do.

Q. Some guys, when they hit a slump or they are not playing at their usual peak level, they go back and look at video of themselves when they were playing at peak level. Do you go back and look at yourself and say, wow, it's nice here, nice here? Do you do any of that stuff in terms of reviewing your own work?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Yeah, you see what you were doing, how you were doing it, what worked for you. Maybe you could have, you know, trended the opposite way of what you were doing, for sure.

Q. What do you attribute to the last year or two of your performance compared to what we are used to seeing?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Shoot, couldn't tell you. A lot of things.

Q. We read things in the paper, Steve Kerr and other players were talking, and one recurring thing we hear is that you are in great shape. They think you look good and seem to be in super shape. Can you tell us about that? Did you -- go deeper on that?

ANDREW WIGGINS: I've just been working hard this summer, trying to put myself in the best possible position to do well.

Q. What about Al Attles mean to you and his presence around here? I'm sure you got to know him a little bit along the way.

ANDREW WIGGINS: He's a legend. You know, coaching to GM to just being around everybody. He's a big presence and you know, just a legend around here. You know, I'm sure we're all going to miss him.

Q. (Off-mic).

ANDREW WIGGINS: You don't see that. He's a special guy.

Q. Aside from team success, what's the individual goal that you have for this season?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Individual goal? Be more efficient than last year.

Q. The All-Star Game is going to be here next February, and obviously you were in the All-Star Game a couple years ago. How important would it be for you to try and want to be on part of the team since it's coming to your place?

ANDREW WIGGINS: That would be amazing. I'm going to strive for that, work hard and do what I can to hopefully get there. Just got to stay consistent, stay on it.

Q. What do you think it's going to take to do it?

ANDREW WIGGINS: We've got to win.

Q. One thing Steve and Mike said the other day is they want to feature you in the offense much more. When you hear that, what is that look to you from a basketball sense?

ANDREW WIGGINS: Getting me downhill. More threes. Just you know, being involved in the offense, whether it's, you know, coming to me, whether I'm initiating something. Could be a lot of different things.

Q. This may sound silly but to be more efficient, what are the keys? That was something you said a moment ago. Are there certain things that you do to try to make that happen?

ANDREW WIGGINS: First thing, take good shots. That's one way. I feel like aggression, when I'm aggressive, I get to the basket, good things happen.

Q. Does it matter to you whether you're playing the two or the three? I mean, in some ways, they are kind of interchangeable in some cases. For you, what's the difference, if there is any?

ANDREW WIGGINS: I feel like on this team, it's the same thing for real, two, three, almost the same thing.