On The Prowl
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • OTP Team
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • OTP Team
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

11/4/2016 0 Comments

The enigma that is Andrew Wiggins, and the expectations we've placed on him

Picture
I firmly believe there are levels to how good players are. Players like Andrew Wiggins will always tantalize us in believing that everything is possible, even the unobtainable. Yet, we don't think anything is unobtainable for a talent like Wiggins. Our eyes definitely can play tricks on us but sometimes you have athletes so talented the unattainable is within reach.

Are our expectations out of whack about Andrew Wiggins? Is it because Wiggins was the #1 prospect in the country projected #1 overall pick before he stepped foot on a college basketball floor? When Wiggins committed to Kansas, he was expected to at least contend for an NCAA Tournament Championship, if not win it. Kansas was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the second round by Stanford 60-57. Wiggins scored 4 points on 1/6 shooting and Pat Forde roasted Wiggins on Yahoo.com, “falsely hyped as the greatest talent to grace the game since LeBron James." Wiggins remained the #1 prospect coming into the 2014 NBA Draft and scouts picked at him, "What concerns me is his motor. Does he care enough? Does it matter to him? I just don't htink he as any of 'f--- you' in him." The same scout also conceded a bit and said, "He still average 17 and 6 in one of the best conferences in America as an 18-year-old. This is a bit of display of how warped our perspectives are."

In a recent ESPN.com article by
 Brian Windhorst, Tom Thibodeau said, "Winners come in all personality types. Some guys have that quite confidence, and they really go after you." In the same quote Thibodeau said, "So you look at the actions more than anything else." Andrew Wiggins, unlike say a Kawhi Leonard, has been spotlighted his entire basketball life. Leonard was able to quietly become an elite NBA player with added expectations. HIs every step, shot, dribble, smile, frown, word, etc. wasn't scrutinized. It's kind of insane that we question if Wiggins has the competitive motor to be elite while Leonard, who like Wiggins doesn't display much outward emotion, doesn't get the same scrutiny.

This is probably where we run afoul about Wiggins. We have an expectation of what he’ll become (LeBron James BITW) and yet forget that he must go through some growing pains to reach the level we expect of him. Kevin Durant as a rookie shot 43% overall, 28.8% from 3-point, scored 20.3 points per and grabbed 4.4 rebounds. The Seattle Supersonics was 20-62 and drafted Russell Westbrook the following year. Durant averaged 25 PPG but the Oklahoma City Thunder record was 23-59. Year 3 the Thunder finished 50-32 and made the playoffs.

I don’t expect Andrew Wiggins to be Kevin Durant. I’m using an elite comparison because I do expect Wiggins to be in the discussion of elite NBA players. This is where we discuss levels again. There are different levels of elite NBA players. LeBron James is the tippy top top of elite. There isn’t another player in his sphere. The next guy is arguable. Kevin Durant is who I consider #2. Stephen Curry is next. After these three, it’s all preference and how you see them play and what you consider more important. There are probably just five or six truly elite players. The next levels are your stars and then so on and so on. So yeah, I expect Andrew Wiggins to get into a level of star and well above role player and just regular starter.
​

Watching more than 120 games over the last 2 seasons, I’ve firsthand witnessed Wiggins’ improvement. Below is Wiggins’ rookie year broken up in his first 26 games and his final 56 games. In the first 26, Wiggins scored 20 or more in just 4 games. From games 27 to 40 Wiggins scored more than 20 points 10 times.
Picture
Picture
Picture
​As a 19/20 year old rookie, you probably wonder, how does Andrew Wiggins measure out?  Let’s take a look.
Paul George
Picture
Dwyane Wade
Picture
Kevin Durant
Picture
These are only three NBA player rookie years who are considered elite players. In traditional statistical categories, Wiggins compares pretty equal mostly, if not better against them.
​

Here are two lists of NBA players, 1, Harden, Westbrook, Cousins, LeBron James, DeAndre Jordan, Wiggins. List 2, Harden, Cousins, DeRozan, DeAndre Jordan, Drummond, Westbrook, and Wiggins. These two lists are total free throw attempts for a season. List 1, is Wiggins’ rookie year. He took the 6th most free throws. Last season, Wiggins took the 7th most free throws. From year 1 to year 2 Wiggins increase his free throw attempts by 99 without a change in percentage made.

Wiggins 4 for 5 from deep. #twolves pic.twitter.com/Fruw0UqU1x

— Alan Horton (@WolvesRadio) October 1, 2016
Is Andrew Wiggins an enigma? Sometimes when piecing together what we think he should be as a player makes watching him puzzling. Like, Wiggins is extremely athletic, why does he not grab more rebounds? Is it because he’s not aggressive ? Aggressiveness is possible but it could also be how the Wolves were as a team. The Wolves were tied for the 2nd to the bottom in total rebounds per game. Wiggins finished 5th on the roster in rebounds per. Wiggins was beat out by Towns, Dieng, Kevin Garnett and Ricky Rubio. Rubio has always been an above average rebounder for his position. Rubio rebounding also allows the Wolves to get up in transition and attack faster. I don’t know about you, but I’ll sacrifice a few rebounds from Wiggins for him to run the floor like Randy Moss ran the go route.

Wiggins put up 1.177 PPP in transition last season. 16th of 39 with at least 200 possessions. Think he can be around 1.3 this season (top 5) pic.twitter.com/xWbUSubksg

— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) October 13, 2016

Rubio picks Rudy Gay. Runs floor like The General he is. Wiggins flush pic.twitter.com/oGIdxAeNXC

— StreetHistory (@streethistory) September 6, 2016
Wiggins might be a little underrated as a passer and creator (he hasn’t had to do it much). I say might because Wiggins doesn’t have good numbers on advanced stat assists percentage. He still averaged 2 assists per game last year and was almost never a secondary ball handler let alone a primary.

Andrew Wiggins to Rubio 3s are a thing? pic.twitter.com/H2PNHkxKqt

— StreetHistory (@streethistory) September 6, 2016

Andrew Wiggins finds Rubio for the game winner pic.twitter.com/OG2oHhnm0z

— StreetHistory (@streethistory) September 6, 2016

​
The good and bad of Wiggins on defense
​

Andrew Wiggins blocks the Bucks. Dunks pic.twitter.com/UlMqS9un6W

— StreetHistory (@streethistory) August 13, 2016

Wiggins breaks defensive rotation protocol and gambles for steal then doesn't stay with guy he broke to. Watch Thibs' reaction. Not thrilled pic.twitter.com/Rg9mkt4PUX

— Zach Harper (@talkhoops) October 13, 2016
I don’t have much video of Wiggins’ defensive struggles but his rep from college was that he floats too much and lacks focus off the ball. Will Reeve JR at TodaysFastBreak.com broke down Wiggins’ defensive shortcomings. His rookie year he allowed 47% shooting on players he defended and his 2nd year it was 44%. Wiggins made his most improvement along the perimeter and at the rim but still allowed players to shoot 59% inside the restricted area during the 2015-16 NBA season. Wiggins’ inability to get many blocks, averaged under a block (.6) per game and unreliably to get steals (32 games without 1). But, Wiggins did have multiple games of more than 3 steals and 2 games with more than 5. Judging steals and defense prowess is a little misleading and you should not just think a player is a good defender because he swipes a few here and there.

Wiggins’ ultimate evaluation at how good he is, will be, or won’t be, will be at the end of this NBA season. Like I previously stated, I’ve watched nearly 120 Andrew Wiggins’ games in various forms. If you didn’t watch Wiggins’ rookie year and you only view box scores I can see how you have a perspective on his game. Numbers lie. They only tell you parts of the story. Without context numbers can be completely meaningless. And Wiggins’ rookie year was the failed experiment at having Zach LaVine and nobody else play point guard. The Wolves offense got so basic at some points of the season they were running just one set play. No counters. No pick and roll. The Wolves at times looked like a grade school offense. And defense was worse (with exception to the games Ricky Rubio was healthy which in 2014-15 wasn’t many). The Wolves played a game in New York where they had 7 active players (they signed Sean Kilpatrick because he was the closest D League player available) and played another late season road game vs Utah with 7 players. The tanking Wolves of 2014-15 didn’t resemble much of an NBA team.

Last season the Wolves went through the emotional roll coaster of Flip Saunders passing and then the coaching of Sam Mitchell. Mitchell’s bewildering use of the Wolves roster throughout the year gave Wiggins another change and philosophy (3 different Head Coaches in 3 seasons). The only steady idea was Wiggins was the main guy, mostly. I say mostly because when Kevin Martin was healthy the Wolves offense at times ran through Martin with heavy ISO sets. Defensively Martin was even worse.

Keep in mind about Wiggins’ expectations, Shaq, LeBron, Melo, KD, AD, Kyrie and AW all have two things in common. One, they all averaged 20 points per game before the age of 20 in a single NBA season. 2nd, they were all drafted #1 overall. Maybe it’s ok we have high expectations for Wiggins because so far he is pretty good and still has a high ceiling. It’s also OK to be confused by Wiggins’ game from time to time. He only turned 21 years old on February 23rd of this year.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    A Minnesota Timberwolves blog here to bring you fresh, insightful perspective during a new era of Wolves basketball

    Categories

    All

    Archives

    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    April 2015


Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.