Coming out of high school, Andrew Wiggins was considered to be a generational talent and was rated the number #1 prospect by SLAM Magazine. After his sophomore season of high school, Wiggins transferred to Huntington Prep School in West Virginia, where in his junior season he averaged 24.2 points, 8 5 rebounds, 4.1 assists. In 2013, Wiggins was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year, becoming the first Canadian to be named. When it came time to select a college, he chose Kansas, one of the most storied college basketball programs in the nation. In his only season at Kansas, Wiggins put up respectable numbers: 17.1 points, 5.9 rebounds. In the 2014 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Wiggins as the #1 pick. A couple of months later, Wiggins along with fellow Canadian #1 overall pick Anthony Bennett were traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three team trade. In the 2014-2015 season, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year.
It's safe to say, Bennett is considered one of the biggest busts as the #1 pick in NBA history. But for some reason, many people are giving that "bust" label to Andrew Wiggins. For the 2018-2019 season, Wiggins is averaging 14.9 points, 3.7 rebounds on 37% shooting. Really not what you expect from a player making around $26 million in salary this season. To be fair, Wiggins was never considered to be a great shooter. He is a slasher who can attack the rim with authority. However, he has shown in spots that he could be a clutch shooter if available to do so. Everyone who follows the NBA knows that Karl-Anthony Towns, who was selected first overall in the 2015 NBA Draft, is the cornerstone of the Timberwolves" franchise and rightfully so. Towns, so far in his career, is averaging 21.5 points, 11.7 rebounds per game and I think, he can win an MVP award when his career is said and done. People tend to forget that in the 2016-2017 season, Wiggins averaged 23.6 points, 4 rebounds on 45% shooting per game. (See what I mean about him getting the opportunity to shoot). So the unlimited potential is there, but there was something that is alarming, his numbers tailed off in the last two seasons. The last two seasons had Tom Thibodeau as head coach (and president of basketball operations, if you're wondering). Thibodeau has a no-nonsense approach to the game and preaches defense. Problem with that is Andrew Wiggins isn't a great defender. So, as a basketball fan on the outside looking in, Wiggins has probably been in Thibodeau's doghouse. Thibodeau also preaches his players to give a full effort on the court.
The one thing that has plagued Andrew Wiggins' career is the talk surrounding him about how his work ethic is poor and his effort during games is not up to par than people would expect from him. One of the gripes Jimmy Butler had when he was in Minnesota, through multiple reports, was that Butler was upset of Wiggins' effort during practice and in games. The reason why I decided to do this article is because of one game. ONE GAME prompted me to do this. November 24 vs. the Chicago Bulls, Andrew Wiggins had a stat line of 29 minutes, 0 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 0-12 shooting. I know that players in any sport would have a terrible game throughout their careers, but this one just stood out, and Wiggins was healthy for the game.
Andrew Wiggins is a good player and I think the "bust" label given to him is far-fetched. He did fire his agent while he was negotiating his max contract, but he at 23, Andrew Wiggins can be the player that is a generational talent and be a megastar in the NBA.
(Sources: SLAM Magazine, Wikipedia, Sports Illustrated, Google, Deadspin, Yahoo!, NBC Sports, ESPN)
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