Not NBA-ready. Can’t shoot. Doesn’t create. Lacks killer instinct. That was the criticism of pre-draft naysayers and early-season detractors of Andrew Wiggins. They don’t have much to say now. In his seventh outing of at least 20 points in his last eight games, watch the Minnesota Timberwolves rookie scorch the Phoenix Suns for 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting – and narrowly miss a game-winning three-pointer.
In addition to 25 points, the 19 year-old corralled four rebounds, dished two assists, and notched three steals. ‘Wolves coach Flip Saunders praised Wiggins for his defensive effort on Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe, Isaiah Thomas, and Gerald Green, too.
We’ve been bullish on Wiggins since his days at Kansas. Players with his basic combination of athleticism, size, shooting ability, and defensive disposition are exceedingly rare. Like so many that doubted his merit as a number one overall pick, though, we had questions about his ability to put the ball on the floor and overall offensive demeanor. But he’s answered them with aplomb over the past two weeks.
Wiggins is averaging 21.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in his last eight games while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from beyond the arc. He’s been awesome in the post, shown more willingness to create off the bounce, and played with an energy that belies the popular narrative that he’s prone to “coasting.” By every objective and subjective measure, Wiggins has looked like a future franchise player since just before Christmas.
That’s a small sample size, obviously, and we’re always weary of reading too much into the performance of young players. But if major outlets are comfortable gleaning incendiary conclusions from Wiggins’ first 26 professional games, they might as well be inclined to do so from his past eight.
We’ll hedge in the middle, though. Wiggins has so much room to improve, and his excellent recent performance also reminds of the oft-dispiriting kind from the season’s first six weeks. But that’s what rookies do – they ebb and flow as the regular season grind goes on. Key to assessing those first-year guys is realizing their highs and lows and extrapolating not just what they’re doing, but also what they could eventually be able to do.
With Wiggins, then, we’re confident saying he’ll grow into an All-Star level performer. And should he continue notching games like last night’s, it seems only a matter of time until the consensus is that he’ll be even much more than that.
(Video via Dawk Ins)
What do you think?
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