SAN FRANCISCO — Andrew Wiggins felt a step behind Saturday night in his return to the floor after sitting out over a month because of a groin injury and subsequent sickness.

That was to be expected.

But a healthy Wiggins, along with the season debut of Andre Iguodala, were welcoming sights for the injury-plagued Warriors.

Wiggins was limited in his first game back, a 115-101 loss to the Orlando Magic. His conditioning wasn’t up to par with where it was when he was healthy. Wiggins played under a minutes restriction that held him to 19 minutes. He finished with 12 points on 4 of 12 shooting. While he had three rebounds, two assists and a steal, Wiggins also committed three turnovers and ended the night with a team-worst minus-22.

He admitted after the game that he “felt slow.”

“Just felt a little rusty out there,” Wiggins said. “Just trying to get my feet right, get back into rhythm, but I know it’s going to take a little time, put in the extra work and I’ll be good.”

If there’s anyone who can relate to the difficulties of returning to the game after a prolonged absence, it’s Kevon Looney.

Before he became the team’s iron man, Looney had to come back from several injuries that derailed him early in his career. He described the first few games as tough and he noted the challenges of establishing a rhythm when playing under a minutes restriction.

“You can practice as much as you want and go game speed but it is nothing like the actual game,” Looney said. “We are a different type of team where the ball is moving and kinda free flowing, so you never know when you are going to get your shots all the time, so it’s a little difficult.”

While it might take Wiggins a few games to brush off the cob webs, the Warriors desparately need him to restore to the version he was before his hiatus.

Wiggins felt like he was floating in early December.

“Amazing” is the word he used to describe how he felt through the first 22 games of this season. “I felt like I was in a great, great rhythm. Every shot that I shot felt like it was going in,” he said.

Wiggins seemed to pick up this season right where he left off from the NBA Finals. He looked as confident as ever as he opened the 2022-23 campaign averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals, while shooting a career-best 51.1% from the field and knocking down 45% of his 6.8 3-point attempts per game.

But trouble struck early last month.

Wiggins experienced some tightness in his right thigh after he walked away from his best game yet — a 36-point outing that included a career-tying eight 3s in a blowout win over the Rockets on Dec. 3. At first, he didn’t believe it was anything too serious.

“I thought I was going to be out for a few games,” Wiggins said. But the tightness persisted and the team’s medical staff diagnosed him with a strained adductor. He was cleared to practice about two weeks later, but when he neared his return around Christmas, he fell sick — twice — along with everyone in his household.

Wiggins ultimately missed 15 consecutive games, his longest absence from the game in his nine-year NBA career.

“It’s not fun” missing that much time, Wiggins said.

The Warriors weren’t having much fun either.

Golden State dropped seven of its next nine games without him, losing Stephen Curry to a shoulder injury along the way, before going on a five-game home winning streak that helped bring them back above .500.

The Warriors are 20-20 after back-to-back home losses to lowly Eastern Conference teams, and they’re 5-2 on this homestand, with a game to go against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday before they hit the road again later this week.

Wiggins might need a few games under his belt to rediscover his groove. But the Warriors need him to quickly get back to speed, especially as they prepare to embark on another lengthy road trip, beginning with a Jan. 13 game in San Antonio.

The road hasn’t been kind to the Warriors, who have the fewest road wins in the league. Wiggins could play a big role in helping Golden State correct its road woes but they need him to be the two-way force, with a trusty 3-point shot, that he was before the injury.

He’s confident that’ll happen sooner rather than later.

“I don’t think it’ll take long. I hope I’ll be back next game, right?” Wiggins said with a smile. “Quick turnaround.”