Wiggins offered silver lining in loss
Impressive two-way impact will be needed when teammates struggle
Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins played 35 minutes in an NBA Finals game. Let that sink in for a second. It’s a testament to how far he has come as a player this postseason. He was tremendous at both ends against Boston in his Finals debut, and his impact could’ve been greater.
Think of Wiggins’ play as the silver lining in what was a historic fourth-quarter collapse for Golden State in Game 1 on Thursday. After the Warriors built a 12-point lead through three quarters, Boston outscored them 40-16 the rest of the way behind nine 3-pointers.
“They hit some tough shots, too,” Wiggins said. “Some tough shots when it mattered. It’s hard to beat a team when they hit 21 3s.”
“You didn’t see these kind of swings even a decade ago because you didn’t have teams that could make 3s from every position and teams that could string together a number of 3s like most teams can these days,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said.
The biggest impact Wiggins made was on defense. As Jayson Tatum’s primary defender, he held the Celtics’ forward to two points while guarding him for 28.6 partial possessions. This comes after Wiggins defended Dallas guard Luka Doncic for 46:55 minutes throughout the Western Conference finals, limiting him to 40% shooting in Games 1, 4 and 5.
Tatum still managed to record 13 assists as a result of Wiggins’ pressure, but couldn’t find an offensive rhythm throughout the night and made just one shot in the second half.
Wiggins finished with 20 points Thursday, second on the team behind Stephen Curry’s 34. And on a night when Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole struggled, it was needed.
Lost in Curry’s 21-point eruption in the first quarter was another efficient offensive start for Wiggins, as he scored six points on 3-for-5 shooting. Wiggins was quiet in the second quarter, but then again, so was everyone else.
He scored eight more in the first five minutes of the second half, as he fueled Golden State in another third-quarter surge. It led by as many as 15 points and outscored Boston 38-24.
“They are a good defensive team, but we are a good offensive team,” Wiggins said. “We have a lot of weapons. We just have to utilize them.”
Wiggins was of the best players on the court Thursday night, and when he sat, it showed. He went to the bench for the first 6:34 of the fourth quarter, likely for rest after playing 11 minutes in the third. During that span, the Warriors were outscored 17-9.
Wiggins will have to be on the floor as much as possible for the Warriors to win a championship, especially if Poole and Thompson continue to struggle. And when Gary Payton II returns to the rotation, it will benefit Wiggins the most, as Paytong will be able to guard both Tatum and Brown in stretches. That will go a long way in keeping Wiggins’ legs fresh.
Wiggins has the chance to be one of the most impactful players in this series because of his two-way effectiveness. Much will be asked of him as the Finals continue, and he’ll have to be at his best each night.