The Minnesota Timberwolves have lacked creativity from the point for a few seasons, but is the answer to this problem already a part of their roster?
The Minnesota Timberwolves‘ search for a point guard this off-season took them to Brooklyn — or, more literally, L.A., where they meeting took place — in the attempt to acquire All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell.
This huge swing turned into a miss quickly, right in front of their eyes.
With most of the bigger name free agents now gone, the Timberwolves missed out on finding a notable acquisition at the point, eventually even letting Tyus Jones join the Memphis Grizzlies.
But, the Timberwolves already have the answer to this issue and have had him a while.
He might not always be a popular figure amongst the Wolves’ fan base, but Andrew Wiggins is an option the team has overlooked and can be the savior of the backcourt for this upcoming season.
The main problem for the Timberwolves’ backcourt was their clear lack of scoring contribution to the roster. This hindered any chance of a playoff finish and left a huge reliance on Karl-Anthony Towns and Wiggins alike.
An elite volume scorer who still often flies under the radar, Wiggins averaged 18 points last season in what was considered by many as a disappointing season.
Under former head coach Tom Thibodeau, Wiggins was left playing a role he was very uncomfortable playing. What was clear with the appointment of Ryan Saunders was the bigger responsibility Wiggins had in terms of ball-handling under his new coach.
A man who has arguably played his best basketball as a shooting guard could truly excel from the added responsibility of starting the teams plays and bringing the ball up the court.
An improving ball-handler with, Wiggins excels in areas where he is giving more space and chance to see the plays unfold in front of him. Using this logic, running the point should fit him perfectly.
In order to truly reach his potential of being a MVP-caliber player, Wiggins will need to improve in some areas on the court.
His 41.2 percent from the field is not great, although his 33.9 percent from 3-point range is passable. But these numbers can (and need to be) much higher.
Taking a more tactical approach, Wiggins could remove the long 2-point shot he loves so much. This new role would see him get the chance to eye a shot and take it, enabling him to become a much better shooter.
The main area for improvement has to be his playmaking ability. While Wiggins averaged a career-high 2.5 assists per game last year … well, that’s the problem. His career per-game average on helpers is just 2.2 assists. That doesn’t cut it.
With the new-look coaching staff, there will plenty of opportunities for Wiggins to be helped on his way to becoming an elite player and his transition in what could be him becoming an All-Star guard.
With the Timberwolves needing clear composure and natural ability on the ball, Wiggins is easily the clear option to play in the backcourt alongside Josh Okogie, allowing Jarrett Culver to move to small forward.
This new-look Timberwolves could be given the spark they need to push on, to become a true contender and playoff team that they haven’t been able to do for some time.
Andrew Wiggins can be an elite level player and as the new starting point guard could truly show his talent and upside.