Dunking With Wolves
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Minnesota Timberwolves: Offseason Improvement Plans

By Tyler Metcalf

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 7: Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots a three-pointer against Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 7, 2019 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 7: Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves shoots a three-pointer against Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 7, 2019 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves  (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
Andrew Wiggins #22 of the Minnesota Timberwolves  (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Andrew Wiggins: Shot Selection

The biggest area of improvement that Andrew Wiggins needs to work on this summer is his shot selection. Wiggins has been horribly frustrating to watch essentially his entire NBA career. His shot selection is frustrating, his defensive effort wanes at best, and his body looks the same as it did in college.

With that said, I am still one of the few left – maybe the only one left – on Wiggins Island. I may be too stubborn on this stance, but he still has all the tools to be a good player and I’m not ready to completely give up on a 24-year-old.

Wiggins is entering his sixth season and has had four head coaches in that time. The only consistent coach in his NBA career has been Ryan Saunders. Wiggins and Saunders are very close, and we saw some improvements in Wiggins’s decision-making once Saunders took over.

Under Tom Thibodeau, Wiggins was more than happy to settle for mid-range jumpers that have been condemned across the NBA now for their inefficiency. Under Thibodeau, last season, 30 percent of Wiggins’s shots were pull up twos with only 36.7 percent of his shots coming at the rim, per NBA Stats. Not only was he willing to take inefficient mid-range jumpers, but he also didn’t seem to care if he was heavily guarded as 18.7 percent of his shots were taken when he was considered tightly guarded (defender within four feet).

We’ve seen plenty of players have success with scoring from the mid-range, but Wiggins isn’t a good enough shooter to do this. On mid-range jumpers, Wiggins scored just .722 points per possession (36th percentile) and only .75 points per possession (33rd percentile) on all jump shots off the dribble, per Synergy.

Once Saunders took over, we started to see some changes in Wiggins’s shot selection though. His two-point pull-up frequency dropped to 28.6 percent, his shot frequency within ten feet jumped to 43.4 percent, and he was tightly guarded on shots outside of ten feet only 15 percent of the time.

These numbers still aren’t perfect, but they are a trend in the right direction. A big reason for this change was the promotion of Saunders. He continuously challenged Wiggins by making mid-range jumpers negative points in practice and he stayed late to work directly with Wiggins. Hopefully, the influence of Saunders will carry over to this season but correcting bad habits is easier said than done.