There was a time not too long ago in the NBA where teams were “Riggin for Wiggins.” It was a thing. Front offices were risking their jobs to lose on purpose. All for the chance to draft the next LeBron James.
Well, the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ ping pong ball bounced in their favor and they obtained the right to draft Andrew Wiggins with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. Before they could even print his name on the back of a Maroon and Gold jersey, Andrew Wiggins was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love. In a move that was considered a win-win, LeBron got his new super-team and the T-Wolves got a piece to help rebuild.
Since being traded to the land of a thousand lakes (actually there are more), Wiggins has played five full seasons for the Wolves but only has helped lead Minnesota to the playoffs once (2017-18). Most recently helping his team finish 11th in the Western Conference.
ESPN did not feature Andrew Wiggins in their Top 100 NBA Players. Andrew Wiggins says there is no way there are 100 better players than him. Spoiler alert Andrew, there are probably more.
Andrew Wiggins is a very flawed player. He has lifetime averages of 19.4 points, 2.2 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. Last year he accumulated 18.1 points, 2.5 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game. Many would say that decline is made even harsher because Jimmy Butler left the team. Butler could not stand Wiggins’ lack of effort. This point was proven by Wiggins as his production did not improve with Butler leaving. Wiggins did not fill the gap that Butler left.
Andrew Wiggins says he is a Top 100 Player and he is in salary. He ranks 30th with a contract that pays him $27 million a year. When it comes to Box Plus/Minus, Wiggins ranks 177th. Andrew Wiggins has a -1.8 Value Over Replacement player over his career. His career-high in VORP is -.01 (15/16 season) and his career-low is -.06 (16/17 and 18/19)
Andrew is one of the top paid players in the league but is valued significantly less than a replacement-level player. Wiggins’ field goal percentage has dropped every year since his rookie year. Shooting 41 percent last year coupled with a 70 percent clip from the free-throw line. Both are sub-par shooting numbers for an elite prospect.
The Timberwolves are on the hook for three more seasons of $27 million-plus with Wiggins. His contact is immovable. The next LeBron is now an overpriced disappointment. Wiggins will be labeled a bust. As of right now, he has never been considered for an All-Star team.
His draft status as a No. 1 overall pick and max contract will not be kind to future discussions of him. If he was just a lottery pick and did not receive the amount of hype out of High School. We would just say Andrew Wiggins is a below-average player with flashes of star potential.
Many would say there still might be some hope in him. He is only 24 years old. Which is a plus, and he could improve this year.
Then, you look at the fact he didn’t even attempt to join Team Canada for the Basketball World Cup this past Summer. He didn’t even try to join and then pull out to “work on the upcoming NBA season,” as many Team USA players did mid-summer.
It just appears that he does not have the heart to improve as a basketball player. Wiggins has all of the tools to be one. He is 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot wingspan. Along with that, he has elite athleticism. The defensive numbers prove he checks out way too much. Most would say his offensive numbers are inflated by being on a bad team.
There is no doubt Andrew Wiggins is a Top 100 Talent in the NBA. Talent only gets you so far. There are many examples of this throughout NBA history of players never reaching their potential.
Now, you could look at someone like Draymond Green who is undersized for his position and who doesn’t possess an amazing vertical. Green works hard, he has a high basketball IQ and makes the other players around him better. Green is not one of the Top 100 elite physical gifted players in the league. Green is a Top 30 player in the league because he works so hard. He knows what to do on the court with what he has. When it comes down to Draymond Green, he actually cares and that’s well evident.
Right now, if you wanted to trade Andrew Wiggins you would need to give up a lot of picks. Wiggins is so frustrating to watch Doris Burke once called him out while calling a game. Wiggins can be a Top 100 player; he even has the potential to be a Top 25 player but there seems to be an intangible missing. The world is quick to call someone a bust. That title sticks for life. Right now that looks like a 100 percent certainty for Andrew Wiggins.