The Minnesota Timberwolves will need a lot of this from Andrew Wiggins to withstand the loss of Ricky Rubio. Watch the draft’s number one pick embarrass Luol Deng with a pump fake, spin move, and finish plus the foul in his team’s game against the Miami Heat on Saturday.
//platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js
Wow.
The 19-year old isn’t ready to carry the ‘Wolves yet, and will suffer as much or even more than his teammates as a result of Rubio’s absence. But a common and accurate critique of Wiggins’ game is that he tends to float through offensive possessions, and Minny will be even less inclined to let him do so now that its playmaking wizard is sidelined.
Could Rubio’s temporary absence actually prove beneficial for Wiggins in the long-term? If the ‘Wolves lack of a ball-dominant creator forces him to be more consistently aggressive, perhaps. But there will almost certainly be more downs than ups if he begins to wield more offensive authority – despite his obvious talent, Wiggins is still raw on that end.
Plays like this give us a glimpse of his limitless potential, though, and could indeed become more common while Rubio sits. With the Timberwolves’ eyes on the future after trading Kevin Love, that’s the silver-lining to their altered reality.
What do you think?
Follow Jack on Twitter at @ArmstrongWinter.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.
