Grading Minnesota Timberwolves players at the All-Star break
#3 – Andrew Wiggins
Grade: B+
17.5 points, 43.8 field goal percentage, 31.5 3-point percentage, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocks
If you think Wiggins is too high on this list or you’re surprised by his grade, then you obviously haven’t been watching him play, and instead looking at stats and listening to the national audience.
I’m not saying that he has been perfect, but people are not giving him enough credit for what he’s done. There are times, yes that he looks a little lost or a little lazy, but it’ll pick up over time. He’s still 22 years old and while that always gets thrown around, it certainly may take a little while for him to get there, and Wiggins will get there because of the type of talent he is.
People see his stats an compare it to the previous years, but what they don’t take into effect is that this is a completely different team. Teague is a player that will take more shots and dribble the shot clock out, whereas Rubio ran the floor up the ball and would quickly get the ball out of his hands. Gibson will even take more shots than Dieng would have done last season.
The reason his points per game have dropped significantly isn’t just because Butler takes the majority of the shots (another reason why), but it’s the players around him as well.
People also complain that his assist numbers are down and that it should be higher considering the talent on the team. But, what they don’t see is that Teague and Butler have the ball in their hands a majority of the time, giving Wiggins the inability to do so. Wiggins has been a lot better this season making the right decision and passing out.
Lastly, his defense has been a lot better this season and it will continue to get better. He’s blocking shots, stealing the ball and getting deflections. Wiggins has arguably had his best season this year, his stats just don’t reflect it. He still needs to work on his shot, but he’s done a better job this season doing other things when he isn’t scoring.