Jan 17, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
Rookie of the Year: Andrew Wiggins
While this award would either be non-existent or by default for many teams in the league, the Wolves are giving heavy minutes to two 2014 first-round picks.
That said, it’s beyond obvious which player is better, but it doesn’t mean we can’t talk about Wiggins’ recent improvement. And it’s made even more significant by LaVine’s apparent lack of progress, highlighting just how special and different one 19-year old rookie can be from another.
Let me start by acknowledging that Wiggins hasn’t been “good” by NBA standards. He has been for the past month or so, but he struggled so mightily for the first couple months of the season that it will take an outstanding performance over the rest of the season to raise his overall play on the season to that of a starting-caliber wing. The Five-Thirty-Eight has published a pair of pieces exploring Wiggins’ season, drawing on some traditionally reliable numbers and metrics to extrapolate the rest of Wiggins’ career as…something. We don’t know what yet, of course.
And while there certainly is some concern over Wiggins’ peripheral and rate-based numbers (he doesn’t have high assist or rebounding rates, for example), Wiggins has absolutely shown improvement in some of the ancillary phases of the game over the past three or four weeks.
For instance, in the past month (since the game in Cleveland on December 23rd), Wiggins is averaging 2.5 assists per game, in comparison to 1.9 on the season. He’s averaging .9 blocks per game, versus .5 per game since the start of the season. His rebounding and steal rates have also ticked up slightly, along with his shooting numbers.
It’s probably a more modest improvement than the general public would like to believe, but it’s exactly what Wolves fans need to see. He’s not becoming Paul George overnight — even Paul George didn’t do that. Or something…you know what I mean.
In the meantime, enjoy the highlights of his best career game to date.
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