Minnesota Timberwolves’ Andrew Wiggins returning to form
Minnesota Timberwolves’ wing Andrew Wiggins has started the year off in the right direction after two disappointing seasons.
Andrew Wiggins has finally broken out of his shell and has strung together a handful of great games for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The former Kansas Jayhawk entered the league with lofty expectations of being the next best thing since LeBron James. From the start, those expectations were unfair but there was undeniable talent that could set him up for All-Star selections and potential MVP’s.
None of those things have happened yet, but this early trend could net him his first All-Star game this season or by next year. After all, Wiggins did tell Kevin Garnett last year in an interview that this was the season he’d make that happen.
| Season | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | eFG% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 6.1 | 13.9 | .437 | 0.5 | 1.5 | .310 | .454 | 4.3 | 5.7 | .760 | 4.6 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 16.9 |
| 2015-16 | 7.3 | 16.0 | .459 | 0.7 | 2.3 | .300 | .481 | 5.3 | 7.0 | .761 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 20.7 |
| 2016-17 | 8.6 | 19.1 | .452 | 1.3 | 3.5 | .356 | .484 | 5.0 | 6.6 | .760 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 23.6 |
| 2017-18 | 6.9 | 15.9 | .438 | 1.4 | 4.1 | .331 | .481 | 2.5 | 3.8 | .643 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 17.7 |
| 2018-19 | 6.8 | 16.6 | .412 | 1.6 | 4.8 | .339 | .461 | 2.8 | 4.1 | .699 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 18.1 |
| 2019-20 | 9.5 | 20.6 | .461 | 2.3 | 6.8 | .333 | .515 | 3.4 | 4.9 | .692 | 4.8 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 24.6 |
| Career | 7.2 | 16.4 | .441 | 1.1 | 3.3 | .332 | .474 | 4.0 | 5.4 | .734 | 4.3 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 19.5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
In the first three seasons, we saw an aggressive Wiggins that was able to score and get to the rim with ease. The 2017-18 season was where things started to go downhill, which is when Jimmy Butler joined the squad.
Even after being traded early in the 2018-19 season, Wiggins was unable to get any momentum going, but he did have a small uptick in production. Regardless, those two seasons with Tom Thibodeau and Butler affected his overall game and confidence.
Thibs was the head coach during Wiggins’ career-best 23.6 points per game, but that was with a lot of familiar faces around him. Furthermore, now that Wiggins is around a new regime that better suits him, he’s started to perform well.
It’s still early in the season, but what Wiggins has done has been great. He’s starting to eliminate mid-range twos and instead shooting more threes and getting to the rim.
He’s also posting career high’s in points, rebounds (tied), assists, blocks, 3-pointers and field goals made and attempted, field goal percentage, effective field goal percentage and turnover rate.
Wiggins has handled the ball a lot better, too, which has been beneficial when running the offense with Shabazz Napier and Jeff Teague sidelined.
Because he’s handled the ball better, it has allowed him to get to the rim. This has created him chances at the rim or finding teammates for an open three with this quick step passed defenders.
Wiggins has been a major reason Minnesota has been able to win games this season. In the first game against the Brooklyn Nets he started out slow but came alive in the second half and overtime.
There were also games like the ones against the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors. Those were games where Minnesota would have most likely lost if it weren’t for his clutch performances.
He’s been so clutch in these moments that he’s scoring at the highest clip in the NBA.
No @NBA player who has been in multiple clutch games this season has scored at a higher clip than @22wiggins pic.twitter.com/qWLCJvRwr3
— Dave Benz (@davebenz) November 9, 2019
This game against the Warriors was a complete game for him all around. He was able to score, rebound, facilitate and play defense.
https://twitter.com/NBATV/status/1193016443773677569
This has been a sight for Timberwolves fans and if this continues, Minnesota’s ceiling gets elevated that much higher.
Next. Checking in on the Wolves' top offseason additions. dark
The absence of the Wolves’ two regular point guards have forced Wiggins to be more involved in facilitating the offense, and that could benefit everyone in the long run.