Minnesota Timberwolves: What’s in store for the future of Andrew Wiggins?

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins has had a rather slow start to his career. His trajectory begs the question, what will Andrew Wiggins become?

The Minnesota Timberwolves traded for former No. 1-overall pick Andrew Wiggins during the 2014 offseason, just weeks after he was selected by Cleveland.

That trade sent Kevin Love to the Cavaliers as yet another era of Minnesota basketball departed from the Twin Cities.

And if it wasn’t for such lofty expectations coming into the league, it would be a pretty safe assumption to say that Wiggins has done a good job. He’s far from a finished product and whether or not he wants to get to an elite level, is up to him.

However, Wiggins does get the short end of the stick far too often.

Numerous times there are former and current Timberwolves players that will say all but good things about him, even Taj Gibson noted high praise for him during the team’s media day a few weeks ago.

Former Wolves player Zach LaVine always has good things to say about his friend:

"Via, ESPN“I have seen Wigs go back late night after games that he didn’t play well and go get shots up too. So, I think they are proven players in the NBA for sure. I think they will be just fine.”"

It’s fair for Wolves fans to be impatient. After all, Wiggins’ development has taken a long time, but he still has so much potential; he’s still only 23 years old and there aren’t many players who are finished products at that age.

Another thing to remember is that he’s had a total of three head coaches in his five years in the NBA — with a likely fourth coach coming on the way barring a drastic change in Tom Thibodeau’s coaching.

Once he finds stability and the right system, then we may see the true Wiggins. Throughout his life, he’s been the go-to player on his team. Now that Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns are ahead of him, it’s sort of hindered his development — and an argument could be made for Towns’ regression in his development.

Once Butler is eventually traded, it’s safe to say that we might be seeing that same Wiggins we saw during his third season in which he averaged 23.6 points per game. At this point, he likely won’t be a huge threat from downtown. He could become a guy who will keep players honest; an average of 37-to-39 percent from downtown is realistic for him.

A player he most resembles through the first few years of his career is DeMar DeRozan. And if that’s the best-case, realistic scenario, than Wolves fans would be okay with that.

DeRozan was a late-bloomer, breaking out in his fifth season. He really caught fire during the 2016-17 campaign, when he averaged 27.3 points per game. He’s never been known for his shooting ability outside of 20 feet, but he’s improved from three.

DeRozan can hold his own defensively, but isn’t really well-known for his ability to defend. Wiggins has improved and he should only get better, and when it’s all said and done, he could be a solid defender.

Wiggins and DeRozan both love to get their points from the mid-range in; getting to the free throw line is something they both are able to do well. Wiggins can easily still become an every year All-Star type player.

As long as the right coach and system are in place, then he can excel. Even if he never becomes an elite defender or shooter, Wiggins will always be able to score. He should be able to average 25 points or more per game when he hits his prime, it’s easy to forget, but he’s only 23 years old.

Wiggins is one of those rare players that no matter how these first four years have played out, he still has that rare elite potential. The process may take a while to get there for the young forward, but it’s still there for the taking.

Right now he looks to be on the path of DeRozan — as a best-case scenario — and there isn’t anything wrong with that. Now, it’s just up to him to prove everyone wrong.