Ranking top 15 Minnesota Timberwolves rookies of all time
By Bret Stuter
4. Andrew Wiggins (Oct. 2014 – Feb. 2015)
Andrew Wiggins was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the first overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft. So how did it come to pass that he is showing up in the 15 top Minnesota Timberwolves rookies of all time? You can thank or blame LeBron James, and his demands in order to reunite with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The subsequent trade of power forward Kevin Love to the Cavaliers landed Wiggins on the Timberwolves roster for his 2014-15 rookie season. Wiggins started all 82 games for the Timberwolves and put up very promising numbers for his NBA debut.
82 games | 36.2 MPG | 16.9 PPG | 4.6 RPG| 2.1 APG | 1.0 SPG | 0.6 BPG, 43.7 FG% | 31.0 3P%
While the Timberwolves were encouraged by his rookie performance, expectations for his development into an elite NBA player were quickly dashed the following year. Despite the fact that he was a 6-foot-7 197-pound wing, he never mastered his perimeter shot. In fact, he was a high-volume shooter who relied upon his teammates to do the dirty work like defend, create shots, and get him the basketball when he was open.
Some NBA teams have that type of role for players, but that did not fit what the Timberwolves roster needed.