Andrew Wiggins’ temperament: Conundrum or catalyst?

Sink or swim

Coming into the season, perhaps the biggest question mark was where Andrew Wiggins would fit into this newly-assembled roster. This question was the byproduct of an assortment of issues.

The most apparent uncertainty was the aforementioned redundancy with Jimmy Butler. The next, and maybe even more vital, was how his natural tendency of drifting into the background and disappearing when his talents weren’t needed would translate to a team with so much firepower.

Going back to his days at Kansas, the constant knock on Wiggins was his aptitude for allowing himself to not be assertive. His demeanor as a chill and stress-free individual directly contradicted every fiber of intense fandom that yearns for players to show emotion and reveal their competitive fire.

The belief is that this lack of aggression shows up statistically in the columns that don’t include points. The Timberwolves fourth-year wing has wielded a reputation as the absolute opposite of a stat-stuffer throughout his NBA career. Not once has he averaged over five rebounds, 2.5 assists, or one steal per game over the course of an entire season. This is something that that is negatively enriched by the fact that he never seems to have an ambition to do so, even with his freakish physical gifts.

Now, this is something that can be overcome if a player either: a) has an elite skill, or b) is on an elite team where the wins come regardless of the other stat-stuffing aspects of a player’s game.

Think about Klay Thompson, who last year averaged less rebounds, assists and steals than Wiggins did, but is considered one of the best shooters of all-time on a historically great team. When added to his defensive prowess, all criticisms of his game are covered by the wins and highlights he is partially responsible for.