You can just feel his confidence and comfort rising by the week. Andrew Wiggins has found a rhythm, and it reflects his first major step toward NBA stardom.
Wednesday night against the Phoenix Suns, Wiggins racked up his seventh 20-plus-point game in the Minnesota Timberwolves' last eight outings.
And the streak ultimately came at a great time, following what had been a fairly slow start when you take into account the expectations fueled by unforgotten hype out of high school, being the No. 1 pick and then being traded for three-time All-Star Kevin Love.
There was plenty of skeptical noise out there discrediting the rookie's performance early on in the season. Less than two months into his career, FiveThirtyEight.com's Neil Payne placed him on a level with James Posey via projections. Some of the stat gurus have also been quick to point out that based on categories like win shares and VORP (value over replacement player), Wiggins has been ranked among the worst under-20 rookies who've qualified with enough minutes.
I say throw away the advanced numbers. Ignore the losses. Overlook the inefficiency—at least when it's measuring a 19-year-old, 199-pound swingman on a depleted, rebuilding roster.Instead, focus on the positives and the enormous room for growth. He's still dropping 20-plus points, which he's done 11 times in 34 games, without credible setup men, surrounding talent or legitimate offensive polish.
Anthony Davis didn't record his 11th 20-point game until his second year in the league. Paul George, Wiggins' most frequently used comparison, didn't get there until his third season.
From an observational standpoint, Wiggins started to pick it up once Shabazz Muhammad was inserted into the starting lineup. Naturally, Wiggins has drawn smaller or weaker defenders, with some of the stronger opposing wings forced to guard the 227-pound Muhammad.
Six of Wiggins' field goals against Utah came on either 6'6" Dante Exum or Joe Ingles. Against Phoenix, he scored five times while guarded by either Eric Bledsoe or Goran Dragic—6'1" and 6'3", respectively.
As a potential 2-guard, it's a reminder of just how dangerous of a mismatch the 6'8", ultra-athletic Wiggins can really be.
For what it's worth, depending on how much stock you've put into Wiggins' poor early-season advanced numbers, ESPN's Kevin Pelton noted (subscription required) that "since the lineup change, his two-point percentage has improved dramatically, and he's cut way down on his turnovers. He has been playing at an above-replacement level, and that's with little help from the Timberwolves' point guards because Ricky Rubio is out of the lineup."
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2323176-andrew-wiggins-taking-first-step-towards-nba-stardom
No comments:
Post a Comment