Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Look at Andrew Wiggins Now

In the NBA, sometimes the identity a player earned on the court follows him everywhere he goes despite it no longer being true.  This is a common practice among some fans and a minority of media members.  It usually takes a deep trip into the postseason for these groups to adjust to the news.  The latest pro baller to rewrite his narrative is Andrew Wiggins– starter on the Western Conference All-Star team.

Failing to reach expectations drives fans and hoops writers/pundits mad.  When a player is chosen #1 overall, the expectations of becoming a franchise rescuer are set on his shoulders.  Normally, it’s a young man who is just 19 years old.  Since 2000, there’s only been one collegiate senior to get picked first–Kenyon Martin.  He was 22.  Of the remaining 21 draft classes this millennium, one player was 21, three were 20, 13 were 19 and three were 18.

Going first comes with colossal responsibility.   There are times when the most coveted rookie hits the ground running.  On less occasions they don’t, and then comes the avalanche of verbal jabs about the athlete’s ability to last in the league.  What’s often forgotten about these young men is that they aren’t that far removed from being children.  Labeling someone as a bust is a serious indictment on their abilities and a franchise’s capability to evaluate talent.  It’s best to be absolutely sure before hurling that observation and it typically happens after three or four years.

Now that Wiggins has made his first All-Star team, is there anyone out there that still thinks he’s a bust?  His path to the NBA’s annual exhibition was not conventional, but for some time, Wiggins was a very good player floating under the radar because of one poor showing in his only playoff appearance.  There was also the part about Jimmy Butler demanding his way out of town because he didn’t want to play with the young Timberwolves anymore.

But before the 2020 trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors took a safe gamble by flipping D’Angelo Russell for Wiggins and the 2021 pick that the Dubs used to take Jonathan Kuminga.   I remember media chatter about the exchange praising the Timberwolves for receiving Russell and not having to give up their FRP for 2020.  I won’t name these jokers but one said it was more about the Warriors not liking Russell. Another babbled that it cost Golden State their opportunity to compete for titles. A third mentioned his doubts about Wiggins reviving his career.

That’s bold talk.  At his job, Wiggins scores over 19 a night and the last time I checked, the point of the game is to put the ball through nylon. In 42 games before being traded to Golden State, he was averaging more than 22 points per contest.  Keep in mind that in his final half season in Minnesota, there were only 84 players in the NBA scoring 15 or more per game.  That would place Wiggins in the top 19% of the league in that category, but he was no good because he hadn’t made an All-star team by year five.

Look at him now.  By my estimation, he’s the second best player on a contender  that’s 3.5 games away from the top record in the NBA.  Wiggins has also evolved in his time with the Dubs, maximizing his elite athleticism on the defensive end.  That perhaps is one of the most important reasons why the Warriors are dangerous.  He now takes on Klay Thompson’s former role guarding the opposing team’s first perimeter scorer.

Who Wiggins was three years ago on the court, is not the same man who is going to help the Splash Brothers and co. get back to where they once belonged.  

As James Brown sang, “Know what you see.  See a bad mother…”

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