While he didn’t quite get the captainship many feel he should have (and rightfully so), Stephen Curry will still be starting in the NBA all-star game to represent the Golden State Warriors and the Western Conference. But despite setbacks to two of his key teammates in the form of injuries and injury rehab, Curry will still be joined by another Warrior on the starting lineups: Andrew Wiggins.

When he was traded to Golden State for D’Angelo Russell in the 2019-2020 season, most people thought it was the Dubs taking on a risky contract in order to get one of Minnesota’s picks (which was used eventually on Jonathan Kuminga), and that Wiggins would likely be traded for more assets or someone more reliable, probably to a young team that could help him develop.

While the fan vote helped him tremendously, people don’t always remember that it’s only a 50% determinant: The fact that the media did not unanimously feel the fans were wrong is a statement about how good Wiggins has been this season. He’s averaging career highs in efficiency, has acclimated into a role where he’s been very effective and contributing to winning, and he’s enjoyed a career resurgence that didn’t look possible when he was back with the Timberwolves.

While this is a testament certainly to Wiggins’ work ethic, as many people have attributed his career successes as such, his fellow starter should see some credit for his growth as well. Stephen Curry has a history of turning teammates into the best versions of themselves, and while sometimes those versions aren’t that much better, that’s certainly not the case with Wiggins who has shown star potential since entering the league as the former #1 overall draft pick.

It’s not always a consensus that a player should never be quit on. Guys like Anthony Bennett who flamed out of the league shortly after being drafted are a different story, whether its because of injury or personal issues or just a lack of desire to be great, but Andrew Wiggins has once again proved his doubters wrong, and the Warriors have turned another promising talent into an NBA All-star.

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