Scouting Report – Andrew Wiggins

Name:  Andrew Wiggins      Age:   19   School: Kansas

Height: 6’8   Weight: 200   Projected Position: G/F

2013-14 Stats:

17.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.0 bpg, 2.3 tpg (32.8 minutes per game)

44.8 FG%, 77.5 FT%, 34.1 3FG%

56.3 TS%, 49.9 eFG%, 26.3 USG%, 10.4 TRB%, 2.1 STL%

SKILLS & ATHLETIC BREAKDOWN

Offense

Perimeter Shooting

Wiggins can be a much better perimeter shooter than he is given credit for. He has good form on his jumper, with a high, quick release, great lift, good follow-through, and range out to the NBA three-point line.  Wiggins does a good job getting square to the basket quickly off the catch, though he has does have to watch a tendency to get his shooting arm too far out in front of him when he rushes his shot. When he does this, he doesn’t get the normal arc on his shot and it ends up as a line drive, and this affected him often early on in the season. Wiggins doesn’t use screens very well to set up his jumper, but he often doesn’t need them because he can be so effective clearing space with his dribble. When he does look to take his jumper off the dribble, he needs to watch not fading to the side he is dribbling to. Wiggins can move well without the ball, though the Kansas offense didn’t really have him doing so.  He needs to work on moving and finding other ways if his first attempt to get open is stopped. He needs to work on coming off screens tighter, giving him more separation to shoot.  His shot selection was generally good, and it improved a lot by the end of the season.

Penetration

Wiggins can do some spectacular things when he looks to get into the lane and to the basket, but he is much stronger going to his right.  He has a good first step, and he uses remarkable body control to get by defenders and to the rim. He doesn’t shy away from contact when he is in the lane, and he can still get good shots off even when being hit from any direction.  Wiggins can be a creative finisher around the basket, and he uses that body control again to clear himself of defenders and square up to the basket, sometimes even after he is already in the air.  He does a good job keeping his head up and seeing the defense when he gets into the lane, but he needs to be quicker finding open teammates.    He has an improving mid-range jumper, and he uses his dribble well to create enough space to get a clean look.  Wiggins should work on attacking the basket more off of screens, especially learning how to come off them tight enough to gain a step on his defender or force a switch.

Ballhandling/Passing

Wiggins is a very good ballhandler for his size with both hands, though he is much stronger going to his right.  He has good control, keeps the ball low and close to his body, and makes strong moves to the basket.  He does have to watch a tendency to think that he can dribble through multiple defenders, as well as getting a little ahead of himself when he sees some open space. Wiggins can make strong moves to his left, though he doesn’t have quite the acceleration off the dribble in that direction and often will need to rely on finesse. He doesn’t use many advanced dribbles, though he seems to have a few he pulls out when he needs them.  Wiggins prefers to just dribble strong to the basket, but he has shown a nice change-of-pace dribble, as well as pro-level spin moves and crossovers. Wiggins uses his dribble effectively to make space for his jumper, often creating what is almost an open look at that basket. Wiggins sees the floor well, though he doesn’t look to create for others much when he has the ball, which is fine because he is also very careful when he has the ball. He can find teammates when he draws help defenders off of penetration but the passes need to be made a bit quicker to take advantage of the defense. Wiggins has shown he can make strong post entry passes from the wing, and he has a good understanding of how and where to get his man the ball.

Free Throw Shooting

Wiggins is an average free throw shooter with a consistent routine, fluid shooting motion and good follow-through.  However, with very little wrong in his mechanics, I expect Wiggins to eventually have his percentage much higher. Wiggins does a good job getting to the free throw line consistently (over 1 free throw for every 2 field goal attempts).  There is a good balance in his offense between attacking the basket and looking for jumpers, and he is a nice ability to draw, and absorb, contact on his way to the rim.

Defense

Perimeter Defense (On/Off Ball)

Wiggins is a good on-ball defender, who positions himself well between his man and the basket, and shows good lateral movement.  He has a good defensive stance, and you can see him constantly scanning the floor to see what is happening. Wiggins anticipates and reacts well to his man’s movements, and he does a good job using angles to cut off his man’s path.  He has the potential to guard multiple positions, and if needed, he has shown that he can be a physical defender. Wiggins plays passing lanes well and he does a good job closing on shooters.  He has to work on how he handles getting through screens, often trying just to push his way through them. He has shown he knows when to try to get over the top of screens, but needs to work on the movement.   Off the ball, Wiggins positions himself well, and as he does when guarding the ball, he sees the court very well.  He can be a good help defender, and his length helps in trapping situations.  He needs to work on navigating through screens off the ball, especially learning how to play angles and shortcuts to stay with his man.  His defensive awareness is very good at his age, and he should be able to adapt easily to guarding at the NBA level.

Rebounding

Wiggins has the physical skills to be a good rebounder, and when he is locked in, he will battle with anyone for missed shots. Wiggins does a good job looking to box someone out when the shot goes up and anticipating where the miss is going to land. He goes strong after the ball when in his area and does a good job extending well to secure the rebound. Wiggins can be a handful on the offensive glass, mainly because he is so quick off the floor with both his first and second jumps, that defensive players need to body him out of the area to keep him away from the ball. Once he gets the offensive rebound, he is very quick to get a good shot up. Wiggins can also be a threat to charge in and get an offensive rebound and putback from the perimeter, so teams will need to make sure they find and put a body on him.

Transition

Wiggins can be very good in transition, either pushing the ball or running one of the wings.  If running on the wing in transition, Wiggins is capable of spotting up behind the 3-point line, taking the ball to the basket off the dribble, or he can make a line for the basket and finish above the rim. Wiggins can also push the ball in transition, though he will often just look to take the ball all the way himself and needs to be able to see all his options better.

Intangibles/Summary

Considered the crown jewel of what was considered to be one of the best freshman classes in years, Wiggins was the subject of many high expectations this year. If you were expecting a player who would come in and dominate college basketball, you were going to be disappointed no matter what. If you wanted to see a player with superstar potential slowly start to put all of his talents together to show the player he could become, then he did not disappoint. Known more for his elite athleticism coming into school, Wiggins showed that he also had a tremendous amount of skill and a very good basketball IQ for his age. He mixes a lot of solid fundamentals with an ability to make plays you wouldn’t expect, resulting in a lot of “Wow” moments. Wiggins likes to go strong to the basket, and he has the ability to do it from anywhere on the floor. Perimeter shooting was considered a weakness heading into college, but all of the tools are there for Wiggins to be a good shooter, once he finds consistency. Wiggins’ defense is as strong as any freshman I’ve seen over the past few years, and his ability to guard multiple positions allows coaches flexibility with lineups. There is still a lot more for Wiggins to learn over the coming years, and if he is committed to being one of the best, he will be.  Hopefully, we will see more of the Wiggins who showed he could take over a game when he wanted to.        

Draft Value:  Early 1^st – #1-5

To me, Wiggins is the clear #1 in this draft, even if we were talking about a healthy Joel Embiid. He is highly skilled on both ends of the floor, has top-level athleticism, and you get a sense watching him that we are only seeing a small portion of what he can do. Yes, there are/were concerns about some passiveness in his play, but I don’t believe this is a long-term issue to be worried about. Expectations will need to be kept reasonable, and if he is allowed to continue to develop the way he has, he can be a star.

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