Minnesota Timberwolves: Will Andrew Wiggins improve?

After an impressive three seasons to begin his NBA career earned Andrew Wiggins a max contract, he took a clear step backwards as the Minnesota Timberwolves‘ third option last year.

With some time to get used to his place on the team and an offseason to improve, will Andrew Wiggins be back to his old self this upcoming season?

First off, it’s important to note that Andrew Wiggins wasn’t as bad as a lot of people would have you believe last season. His numbers were down a bit, but as stated before he was forced into a new role of being the Minnesota Timberwolves third option behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler.

Wiggins still averaged 17.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, two assists and a steal per game and was durable enough to appear in all 82 games of the season. These numbers aren’t bad in isolation, it’s only once you compare them to his previous seasons that it becomes apparent there’s a dip. But it’s worth remembering, Wiggins was relegated from the Wolves’ second option to their third.

The stat that should be of most concern to fans is Wiggins’ percentages, which still aren’t too abysmal. His 44 percent shooting on field goal attempts is his worst since his rookie season, although his 33 percent on 3-pointers remains the second-best mark of his career.

The most alarming drop in percentage was that of his free throws, which sunk from 76 to 63 percent in just one season. Once again however, it’s worth noting Wiggins got to the line for almost three less attempts per game — which in and of itself is a real issue.

My hope is that with a season under his belt to get used to his new role, Wiggins will be more effective as the Wolves’ third option. Those numbers he posted last season would look a whole lot better if he were shooting at a better percentage, and with an offseason to work on the kind of shots he’s more likely to take as the third option, I’m hoping they’ll be improved.

That being said, I still think Wiggins’ season was blown out of proportion.

The fact he signed his max-contract extension last offseason certainly did him no favors in terms of lofty expectations that were never going to be met with the addition of Butler, but Wiggins still has plenty of time to prove his worth.

It is also rumored that Wiggins will be starting a family sometime soon. Who knows, the addition of a baby may ground Wiggins a little more and have him focus on the game. But nevertheless, we’re extremely happy for him here at Dunking With Wolves!

That hasn’t taken Wiggins’ mind off basketball this offseason however, as it seems he’s gotten back into training. This is a good sign that Wiggins is at least attempting to push his game in the right direction this upcoming season.

With Towns and Butler both still on the roster (at this stage), it seems Wiggins will be the Wolves’ third option again this season. This isn’t necessarily bad for him, or the Wolves, if he spends the offseason working on his effectiveness scoring the ball.

Imagine seeing the Andrew Wiggins from two or three years ago as the Wolves third option…. Now that is something I’d like to see.