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Wiggins finds success, peace with Warriors after T-Wolves exit
Even Stephen Curry wanted to know the answer. When asked if Andrew Wiggins showed “extra emotion” playing his former team Monday night, Curry deferred to his teammate.
“You’ll have to ask him in a moment,” Curry said of Wiggins, who had 23 points, six rebounds, three blocks and three steals in the Warriors’ 130-108 win over the Timberwolves at Chase Center. “I’m actually interested to hear his answer.”
After fielding a few more questions, Curry left the podium and Wiggins sat down. He was the last Warriors player in the postgame interview session, talking to reporters after franchise stars Curry and Draymond Green, as well as No. 2 pick James Wiseman. He was asked the same question: Did it feel good to beat his former team, the one that traded him 5 ½ seasons after ticketing him as the franchise savior.
“It’s all love for those guys,” said Wiggins, smiling. “But I feel like it takes the competitiveness to the next level. I feel like we did our job and I’m happy we got the win, most importantly.”
Years removed from being the No. 1 pick with weighty expectations on his shoulders,
Wiggins looked relaxed, comfortable, at peace.
This is the Wiggins the Warriors had hoped to discover when, in February, they traded D’Angelo Russell and two others for Wiggins and a protected first-round pick. No longer saddled with leading an offense and answering for a franchise, Wiggins has settled into a supporting role and is having the best season of his career.
It’s fair to say that the early returns on the trade that shifted the direction of two franchises so far favors the Warriors.
In Golden State, Wiggins is tasked with playing consistent defense, running the floor and making open 3-pointers. For a team that over the past two years lost Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson (to season-ending injuries), he’s become the go-to perimeter stopper.
Having guarded the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard and Pascal Siakam, Wiggins is holding players he defends to 6.7 percentage points below their season shooting averages — among the best wing defenders in the league. After his threeblock performance against the Timberwolves, Wiggins ranks seventh in the NBA in blocks (28), and is the only non-center in the top 15.
He’s come a long way from being labeled as one of the worst defenders in the league. That’s partly because he doesn’t have to expend as much energy on offense for these Warriors. Wiggins is posting the lowest usage rate since his rookie season and the highest True Shooting percentage of his career (55.5). Asked to do less, he’s been more efficient.
“This is just how the NBA goes. Most players are subject to circumstance and I think we have a really good situation for Andrew,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. “He’s doing everything we’ve asked and defensively he’s been fantastic. He’s a joy to coach, in a good rhythm on offense and a great addition to our team.”
Meanwhile, the trade has not been as fruitful for the Timberwolves. Neither Omari Spellman nor Jacob Evans, the two role players traded in the deal, still plays for Minnesota, and Russell has played only five games alongside fellow franchise cornerstone Karl-Anthony Towns. The two were supposed to form a high-octane two-man game between point guard and center, but Minnesota has yet to see many on-court results as Russell is sidelined with a quad injury and Towns missed most of this season with a wrist injury before he tested positive for COVID-19.
Though Russell was productive in Towns’ absence, averaging 20.5 points and 5.5 assists per game, the Timberwolves have dropped 11 of the 14 games he’s played this season. These are the sort of “empty calories” that prompted the lottery-bound Warriors to move on less than a year after acquiring Russell in a complicated sign-and-trade with Brooklyn in the summer of 2019.
If things didn’t work out in Golden State, Minnesota was always a likely destination for Russell. Timberwolves GM Gersson Rosas coveted him during free agency, only to be beaten out by the Warriors’ max contract offer. They were ready to move on from Wiggins who, after playing for four coaches, could not shape-shift into the sort of alpha they needed. Under Flip Saunders, Sam Mitchell, Tom Thibodeau and Ryan Saunders, Wiggins produced points, but not many wins. But always, he was well-liked in the locker room because of his easygoing personality.
“I’ll always be a believer in Andrew,” said current Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders.
Next season, Wiggins will play alongside Curry, Green, Thompson and Wiseman. The Warriors view the 25-year-old Wiggins, under contract through 2023, as part of their long-term core.
“It’s a great organization. They treat me with love and respect here and treat my family well,” said Wiggins, who added he hopes to end his career with the Warriors. “Why not? I would love to.”
Because of the trade with Minnesota, the Warriors may also have the means to add another foundational piece this upcoming offseason. The first-round pick Minnesota owes Golden State is protected for selections 1-3 in 2021 and, if it does not convey, is unprotected in 2022. (The Warriors also got an additional second-round pick from Minnesota in last season’s deadline deal that they used to help facilitate the trade for Kelly Oubre Jr. before the season.)
If the Timberwolves finish the season with the second-worst record in the league, as they have now, they would have a 40.1% chance of landing a topthree pick in the draft lottery and keeping the selection. In other words, there’d be a greater chance — nearly 60% — that the Warriors would get to take a player early in a widely heralded 2021 draft class.
Losing the pick could be disastrous for the Timberwolves, but a downright coup for the Warriors. Adding a player such as Cade Cunningham, Jalen Suggs, Jalen Green or Jonathan Kuminga would pair Wiseman with another elite talent who can help bridge the gap between Golden State’s present and future.
For now, Wiggins will try to help the Warriors get back to the playoffs. After stumbling to a 15-50 record last season, the Warriors are 9-8 after Monday’s win against the Timberwolves. When the lead was cut to eight, it was Curry who stepped up and scored 15 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter.
No longer asked to take over the game, Wiggins played a complementary role. He attacked the basket against a scrambled defense, knocked down open shots and tallied timely blocks and steals. More than enough as he tries to fill the void left by top-notch role players such as Iguodala and Shaun Livingston.
“A great group of guys around me,” Wiggins said, citing Curry, Green and Wiseman. “I can do what I do best and use my athleticism to the best of my advantage on both sides of the court.”
Ahead of tonight’s rematch against the Timberwolves, the Warriors, like Wiggins, can take comfort in what so far has been a good match.