It’s been a crazy week for Andrew Wiggins.
On Monday he moved to third on the Timberwolves’ all-time scoring list, then the very next game, he scored his 7,000th point, becoming the seventh-youngest player in NBA history to reach that mark. But it wasn’t just that milestone that made Wiggins’ game against Boston special.
While the Wolves couldn’t get the win on the road, dulling the shine on Wiggins’ game slightly, the young forward turned in his best performance of the season. It was the kind of game that Wolves fans know Wiggins is capable of and would love to see every time he takes the floor.
There was no hesitation in Wiggins on Wednesday, he let it fly from deep, attacked the rim, and found ways to get buckets even as many of his teammates were struggling. The Wolves nearly came back in Boston—that was in large part due to Wiggins. He kept the team in it.
Wiggins finished the game with 31 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the field. He was also two-of-five from deep. Wiggins’ averages haven’t been where he wants them to be this year as he has struggled with his shooting, but there have certainly been some flashes of brilliance. Once Wiggins is able to nail down his shooting percentages he could be in for a huge run.
There are positive signs for Wiggins. He’s shooting 35.4 percent from deep this season, the second-highest mark of his career. In 2016-17 Wiggins shot 35.6 percent on the season, but he was also attempting fewer shots (3.5 compared to 4.8 this year). This season Wiggins has not been asked to play the role of a floor spacer exclusively, but he’s been getting good three-point looks in the flow of the offense and knocking them down.
The other positive thing for Wiggins requires a bit of a deeper dive into the stat sheet, but it’s certainly interesting. Wiggins is typically an elite finisher at the rim. Last season he shot over 70 percent there on the season. However, this year, that number is down to just 61.8 percent. That might not sound like a good thing, but the positive side of that is that Wiggins is attempting more shots at the rim than he has in a while. Wiggins is taking just over 34 percent of his two-point attempts at the rim, last year he took just 31 percent of his two-pointers at the rim. Wiggins has the physical tools to be a very good finisher—we’ve seen it from him before, and we saw it last night. When his efficiency around the rim adjust back to where it usually is his numbers will jump.
There are already signs of improvement—Wiggins dealt with a lot of injuries early in the season that prevented him from getting into rhythm. Wiggins has played 34 games this season. In his first 17 he shot just 37.8 percent from the floor. In his next 17 he shot 42.7 percent. The Wolves’ season got off to a very strange start and Wiggins’ season averages are hurt by that. However, it’s clear that things are turning around for him, and last night was a perfect example.
There’s still a lot of time for you to vote Wiggins and his Timberwolves teammates into the All-Star Game. You can (and should) do so here.