Wiggins Shows Signs of Reemergence Against Thunder

It’s been a rough start to the season for Andrew Wiggins. Battling some conditioning issues that popped up at the end of last season due to a knee injury, he’s looked slow and passive to start the season. Tonight against OKC, however, Wiggins looked somewhat more like his normal self, aggressively attacking the basket to the tune of 50% from the field in spite of going 0 for 5 from three. The Warriors offense needs his driving attack to put pressure on the rim, something he hasn’t been as keen on (usually around half his shots are threes) so far.

Tonight put many concerns to rest about him after the vaccine controversy, although his shot wasn’t quite on the mark in Oklahoma City. He played solid defense, a +4 in total box-plus-minus showing his positive impact in a game that the Warriors trailed in going into half time before we saw another of the third-quarter explosions the team had become so renowned for in seasons past (many fans even coined the “game doesn’t start til the third” attitude jokingly).

Whether fans agree or disagree on if Wiggins should be traded or not, his value is pretty clear as a two-way wing with self-creation capabilities. Wiggins has somewhat stymied the stigma surrounding his career now that he’s in Golden State and playing winning basketball that the Timberwolves haven’t really been known for since they drafted him. He adds a very dynamic element to the offense that few other players can bring in the form of being a capable spot-up scorer as well as an on-ball one. His athletic drives open up shooters around the arc and he’s grown as a passer. While he still maintains his bucket-first tunnel vision, it’s improved drastically playing around a group of players that are more experienced than he is and have a better resume.

Hopefully the shooting woes (33% from outside in the short sample size of this season so far) clear up and Wiggins maintains that aggressive mentality moving forward. His confidence is one of the keys to getting this team going while the stars sit, and he’s got a chance this season to prove that he should be a part of the bridge to the future that the Warriors are building. At 26 years old, he could certainly still be a contributor by the time the Wiseman-Kuminga-Poole-Moody era takes over the reigns, and with more veteran experience, he could certainly prove to maintain his value over that time.

(Photo credit: Lachlan Cunningham / Getty Images)