Arguably the most consistent player on the Minnesota Timberwolves has been Andrew Wiggins. Here is a case as to why he should be in consideration for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player.
When we think of players that should be in consideration for MVP, we think of players like: LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and a few others. However, Andrew Wiggins is now entering this conversation after a great start to the season
A player that’s most valuable to a team doesn’t necessarily need to have the biggest statistics. But instead, is someone that is the best player on the team. The best player on the team is…. Wiggins.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are at an impressive 9-5 start – which is something that we haven’t seen for a long time. A major reason for this start is Wiggins, as he has not had one bad game, except for one. That one game exception was against the Indiana Pacers, and well, I think we all know how that game went for the whole team.
| Opp | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAS | 30:25 | 9 | 14 | .643 | 4 | 6 | .667 | 4 | 9 | .444 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | -19 |
| UTA | 34:39 | 7 | 19 | .368 | 2 | 6 | .333 | 5 | 6 | .833 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 21 | +4 |
| OKC | 39:24 | 10 | 20 | .500 | 2 | 7 | .286 | 5 | 8 | .625 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 27 | +15 |
| IND | 30:49 | 3 | 9 | .333 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 1 | 6 | .167 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | -21 |
| DET | 35:43 | 7 | 12 | .583 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 6 | 9 | .667 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 21 | -3 |
| OKC | 36:28 | 5 | 15 | .333 | 3 | 7 | .429 | 1 | 3 | .333 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 14 | +8 |
| MIA | 40:16 | 7 | 23 | .304 | 1 | 5 | .200 | 7 | 8 | .875 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 22 | -1 |
| NOP | 37:39 | 9 | 21 | .429 | 0 | 5 | .000 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 18 | -2 |
| DAL | 35:26 | 9 | 14 | .643 | 2 | 4 | .500 | 3 | 4 | .750 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 23 | +14 |
| CHO | 35:14 | 8 | 12 | .667 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 3 | 5 | .600 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 | +15 |
| GSW | 32:18 | 6 | 14 | .429 | 1 | 4 | .250 | 4 | 4 | 1.000 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 17 | -16 |
| PHO | 38:19 | 10 | 22 | .455 | 1 | 3 | .333 | 6 | 7 | .857 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | -3 |
| UTA | 38:47 | 4 | 10 | .400 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 3 | 5 | .600 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 11 | +25 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Many might believe that Karl-Anthony Towns or Jimmy Butler is the best player on the team. They are very good players. All three, in fact, are All-Star worthy. But, so far this season Wiggins has been the most dependable player for the Wolves.
Butler has been spectacular on defense, but on offense, there has been a struggle. He’s not finding his stride or hitting the shots he normally would. Towns, as good as he is on offense; he’s one of the NBA’s worst defenders.
Wiggins has done it all this year and that’s why he’s the most valuable player for the Wolves. He has improved his rebounding this year greatly. He is averaging 4.4 rebounds a game, but that number is a little deceiving. In the 13 games the Wolves have played, he’s had 5or more rebounds six times. That is a major improvement over last years total.
His defense this year has improved greatly and it has been noticeable. We’ve seen him pick off passes that are being thrown his way, and disrupting the dribble. A lot of them we see him making an effort towards a steal, but they are too far of a reach – resulting in the ball getting tipped out of bounds.
According to ESPN.com, He is averaging 1.3 steals a game, up only 0.3 from last season. This season, Butler has helped Wiggins greatly improve on the defensive end. In the past three games, Wiggins has recorded eight steals and two blocks. In the one game against the Golden State Warriors – he came away with an impressive four steals (ESPN). Last season, that would have cost an arm and a leg for him to do.
This statistic perfectly shows how valuable he’s been to the team.
Big split between Wig & KAT: when Wiggins sits, the D is awful (112.1), when KAT sits, it’s really good (100.9). Some explained by backups: Wig’s (Crawford & Bazz) bad defenders, KAT’s (G & Belly) pretty decent.
— Punch-Drunk Wolves (@PDWolves) November 14, 2017
Let’s get to the scoring aspect of Wiggins game – easily his biggest strength. He has been the most reliable scorer on this team, scoring 20-points or more in 8 of the 13 games (ESPN). He can hit you from anywhere on the floor – inside, mid-range, and three. We have been absolutely blessed for exhilarating plays like this:
Of course, we know about Wiggins ability to shoot the mid-range so fluently. Perhaps his most popular shot is his turn around fade away jump shot.
That was just a few examples of his prolific dunks, and jaw-dropping mid-range jumper’s. Now let’s look at what he can do from three. According to ESPN.com, In the first month of the NBA season, Wiggins was shooting it 36.1 percent from three, while it may have dipped by 10 percent in the month of November – he can still hit it from three. Any player goes through those motions, he will bounce back without a doubt.
The last game against the Utah Jazz, we saw Wiggins allow Butler, Towns and Teague score. In this game, he recorded four rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and two steals. He understood that the there wasn’t a need for him to constantly shoot the ball, and instead focus on all the small parts of the game. He even came away with a team-high +25 in the plus/minus section.
He is the second most leading scorer on the team, only behind Towns by 1.7 points per game. But again, he understands that the team is a lot more talented. Thus, allowing him to find other’s to score, and help out in other ways.
How does he stack up to some of the other MVP candidates? First, let’s look at LeBron James. Why does Wiggins deserve it more? Simple. James and the Cavaliers are 8-7 and they look awful. They are good enough for the ninth in the East, and might I add… it’s the East. I know he’s playing well, but if your team can’t win when you’re that talented and your name is LeBron – then clearly you’re not doing something right. Next!
Now, let’s take a look at last year’s MVP winner, Russell Westbrook. Again, same scenario here with the Oklahoma City Thunder, they just can’t win. They too are ninth in the Western Conference with a 7-7 record. If you’re a former MVP player, along with Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and Steven Adams – I think he should be helping his team a little more. Oh, and Wiggins and company beat this team twice might I add. Next!
This one is a bit trickier, but, James Harden isn’t as deserving as Wiggins. It’s impressive what he’s done for the Houston Rockets with the 11-4 record, 30.7 points per game, 10.3 assists, and all without Chris Paul. But, where he isn’t as deserving as Wiggins, is that he is second in the league in the most turnover’s per game with 5.1 (ESPN) – that’s the wrong side of the being second in the league. Not too mention his defense is horrific, you need to play both sides of the ball, in order to be in competition for the MVP. if you’re looking for an example, here’s one:
James Harden showing no effort on D, then yelling at his teammate for HIS defense. pic.twitter.com/6LL1uXnsd6
— Google “1 in 72,000 Chance” (@42TDs) November 10, 2017
Next: Timberwolves power rankings: Can anyone catch Towns?
All three of these players are playing extremely well, and that’s what makes the NBA so special. So many players are worthy of this award, but where Wiggins is ahead of them is his consistent play, and play on both sides. Without Wiggins, this team would not be where they are – and for Minnesota to be 9-5, things are a lot different. Because they are doing so well, this gives Wiggins the edge over anyone else because of how impressive things have been.