Wiggins once clashed with Butler, now he follows his lead

On the first day of Warriors minicamp last week, Steve Kerr was impressed with howwell forward Andrew Wiggins was running the floor, cutting and battling for position in the paint during scrimmages. Had he not seen Wiggins in Los Angeles a month before, hemay have even been surprised.

In August, Kerr, along with player development coach Seth Cooper and director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini, visited Wiggins at the gym where he has spent most of the last few months training. All came away encouraged by what they saw from the player they hope can emerge as part of the team’s core.

“He’s very, very diligent,” Kerr said of Wiggins, who he has claimed is already in “midseason” form. “He’s a worker. He works every single day. He puts his time in, and he’s in great shape all the time.”

This runs contrary to the

reputation Wiggins has developed during his first five years in the NBA when, as a No. 1 overall pick, he failed to live up to expectations with the Minnesota Timberwolves, raising questions about his work ethic.

Contributing to that reputation was a report in 2018 that Jimmy Butler — who helped lead the Miami Heat to the 2020 NBA Finals, but was then playing for the Timberwolves— called Wiggins and center Karl-Anthony Towns “soft” during a combative practice.

In part due to stories like that, Butler eventually forced his way out of Minnesota. Years later, however, Wiggins isn’t bitter. Instead, he appreciates players like Butler who held teammates accountable.

“I feel like (those reports came) from certain people who couldn’t handle certain situations,” Wiggins saidMonday. “I feel like the majority of people, even includingme, we love playing with Jimmy. You know him as somebody that was going

to bring it every night, someone who was going to compete every night hewas on the court, regardless.”

With his Heat are set to play the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals starting today, Butler’s cantankerousness has been rebranded as a Mamba-like obsession for winning. Despite Butler, 31, having gained the reputation of being a bad teammate in previous stops in Chicago, Minnesota and Philadelphia, success inMiami has helped change the way he’s perceived.

“Miami has always had that mentality and a different sort of toughness, so the fit was great right from the beginning,” Kerr said. “Jimmy’s in the prime of his career. He’s a great player.”

Wiggins can accomplish a similar turnaround in Golden State. In February, the Warriors traded guard D’Angelo Russell and two other players to the Timberwolves to acquire Wiggins, who they believe is a better positional fit next to Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

AfterWigginswas asked to be the lead playmaker in Minnesota, he will have a more simplified role in Golden State, where he will

be taskedwith making open shots, cutting to the basket and playing focused defense. In his 12 games with theWarriors, Wiggins averaged 19.4 points on 45.7% shooting, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 33.6 minutes per game.

All of those things were part of the conversation Kerr had with Wiggins in Los Angeles a month ago. In the time since the Warriors’ season was canceled inMarch, Wigginshas been working on his ball-handling, shooting and moving without the ball. He’s remained in game shape — something that has proven difficult for many players during the coronavirus pandemic — while building his strength.

“Guys will come off the floor and say ‘ man is he strong’,” Kerr said of Wiggins, who did not participate in Monday’s scrimmage after waking up with neck stiffness. “He’s just got a wiry strength, which iswhy he’s able to guard his position so well and even slide over and play some four.”

Next season, Wiggins will start at small forward and play power forward in smaller lineups with Green

at center. In many ways, he will be taking over the role of past Warriors small forwardsHarrisonBarnes and Kevin Durant. If Wiggins canplay that role effectively, it will be a key part to the Warriors reclaiming their place among the league’s best and in him, like Butler, rehabilitating his reputation. Warriorsminicamp, which runs through Oct. 6, offers him a fresh start.

“Me being one of the guys who hasmore years (in the league) on the team, I’m just trying to be vocal, be there for the guys, work hard, lead by example,” Wiggins said of minicamp, which Curry and Green are missing due to family reasons. “Building up the chemistry and letting them know that I’m here, Klay’s here, andwe’re going towork our butts off.”

KLAY THOMPSON DID NOT

SCRIMMAGE MONDAY » Thompson is participating in other parts of Warriors practice and 1- on-1 work with player mentor coach Leandro Barbosa. “We’re taking it slow,” Kerr said, adding it is not crucial to get Thompson into scrimmages, since next season is “obviously several months away, at least.”