Dunking With Wolves
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Andrew Wiggins deserves the max

By Talal Abdullah

Apr 9, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) dunks the ball as Los Angeles Lakers forward Corey Brewer (3) defends during a NBA basketball game at Staples Center. The Lakers defeated the Timberwolves 110-109. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) dunks the ball as Los Angeles Lakers forward Corey Brewer (3) defends during a NBA basketball game at Staples Center. The Lakers defeated the Timberwolves 110-109. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Andrew Wiggins is eligible for a contract extension this offseason that would begin for the 2018-2019 season.

Coming out of high school, Andrew Wiggins earned the nickname Maple Jordan as he averaged 23.4 points per game and grabbed 11.1 rebounds per game.

This led him to sign with Kansas and being ranked number one in the ESPN Top 100 and a scout grade of 97.

Fast forward through his one year at Kansas where he finished the year averaging 17 points per game and 6 rebounds.

Andrew Wiggins, the number one overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, will be officially eligible for a contract extension come July 1.

Now a question Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden have to answer is, does Wiggins deserve the max?

The simple answer is YES! Wiggins has averaged 20 points 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game over his short career so far.

He has averaged 20 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists per game over his short career so far.

Wiggins’ rookie season he put up 16.9 points per game, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 45.4 percent from the field.

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These stats led to him earning the honors of Rookie Of The Year and being invited to the Rising Stars game where he was named The Rising Stars MVP.

He followed that season by posting his stats of 20.7 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game, and 2 assists while improving his shooting percentage to 48.1 percent.

So how did Wiggins do this year? He put up 23.6 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and dished out 2.3 assists.

He also helped himself become a better offensive mismatch by improving his 3-point percentage to 35.6 percent.

Andrew Wiggins has improved year by year and you have to believe with the assistance of Thibodeau coaching he will only continue to grow.

Give Him The MAX!

Jimmy Butler, Klay Thompson, Paul George are all All-Stars who put up similar numbers to Wiggins in their early stages of their career.

Would you be willing to let any of those names walk?

Let’s compare.

It took Paul George three seasons before he put up more points than Wiggins rookie season.

Jimmy Butler took four seasons to put up more points and Wiggins matched his 20 points per game.

Wiggins’ one flaw that has been constantly been pointed out is his failure to play defense sometimes in the game.

Defense doesn’t come easily to young players in the NBA it takes time to learn the speed of the game.

Wiggins has shown the ability to play defense at times. Yes, he needs to pick it up but that should not affect his pay.

What he brings is an offense that is hard to be replaced. He has given Minnesota five games of 40 or more points.

Wiggins gets double digits points almost every game as he only had three games this year that he did not reach double digits.

Against The Philadelphia 76ers, Wiggins led Minnesota to a victory by putting in 35 points and grabbing 10 Rebounds.

During the win, Wiggins shot lights out going 14-for-20 (70 percent) from the field while shooting 3-for-6 from deep and 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.

Wiggins has the chance to become a superstar in this league and he is only three years into his career. The last thing Minnesota wants to be is the team that let a future star leave.

Ask The Oklahoma Thunder how they feel when they let James Harden get away.

Andrew Wiggins’ defense will catch up to his offense.

Minnesota has it easy. They can build around their big three of Karl-Anthony Towns, Zach LaVine, and Wiggins and it starts with paying them and not letting them get away.

Next: A look at Utah Jazz in free agency

Wiggins will get the max just like Towns and LaVine will be close to it. These are three All-Stars with the potential to be superstars Minnesota won’t let money get in the way.