NBA: Andrew Wiggins is Living Up to the Hype

Leading up to the 2013-14 college basketball season, Andrew Wiggins was heralded by many as the best high school recruit since LeBron James. Others compared him to Tracy McGrady, while a select few had the foresight to say, “Forget the comparison, this kid is special.”

It’s early, but thus far in 2014-15, Wiggins is living up to the hype.

Drafted No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers and later traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for All-Star Kevin Love, the expectations are massive for the 19-year-old from Toronto, Canada. As is the case with players who get compared to potential Hall of Famers such as James and McGrady.

While it’s far too early to call the rookie wing a future Hall of Famer, he’s proven that he’s worthy of the expectations he’s facing. Not only is he a rising star on both ends of the floor, but he’s carving out his niche as a go-to scorer within the Timberwolves’ offense.

In no time at all, Wiggins has embarked upon the path to stardom.

Aggressive as a Scorer

Coming out of college, the No. 1 knock on Andrew Wiggins was that he failed to show killer instinct as a scorer. Jabari Parker was viewed as the safe bet, while Wiggins was labeled as a risky upside pick.

With Kevin Martin suffering an early-season injury, Wiggins silenced the critics by showing the one thing that he was lacking: aggressiveness as a scorer.

Point in case.

The Timberwolves have been hit by a rush of injuries to their three most established players in Kevin Martin, Nikola Pekovic and Ricky Rubio. The other key veteran, Mo Williams, was traded to the Charlotte Hornets after something of a resurgent breakout season.

Through all of the punches that Minnesota’s been forced to take, the one constant has been Wiggins rising to the occasion.

Pun intended.

From December 23 to January 17, Wiggins scored at least 20 points in 10 of 13 games played. This coincided with Martin, Pekovic and Rubio going down for an extended period of time.

Without Rubio, a premier facilitator, Wiggins showed the ability to create his own shot. He got to the line with consistency, flashed a reliable jumper and erupted at the rim with explosive athleticism.

Suddenly, the one knock against Wiggins has become one of his greatest strengths.

Shining Amongst His Peers

Say what you will about All-Star Weekend activities, but the events tend to matter more than they seem. While there’s an exception to every rule, a vast majority of the shining stars in those events tend to be just that: stars.

The Rising Stars Challenge is a perfect example.

Admittedly, players who have won MVP of the game include DeJuan Blair and Daniel Gibson. That gives reasonable doubt when debating whether or not the award means anything whatsoever.

Other winners include Andre Drummond, Kenneth Faried, Kyrie Irving, John Wall, Tyreke Evans, Kevin Durant, David Lee, Andre Iguodala, Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Gilbert Arenas—in that order, with Blair and Gibson coming in between.

All but Drummond and Faried have been named All-Stars, and both of the 25-and-under big men have received the hype of players with star-caliber potential.

The most recent winner of the award was a player whose star status already exceeds that of Blair and Gibson: Andrew Wiggins.

An early accolade for a man who’s soon to receive plenty more.

Wiggins finished the Rising Stars Challenge, which was changed to a U.S. against the World format, with 22 points. He led the World to a 121-112 victory and shined amongst some of the most promising young players in the league.

Even if the rosters left you underwhelmed, one thing became perfectly clear: amongst this current generation of recent draftees, Wiggins is the No. 1 player.

Both athletically and from a talent perspective, Wiggins seems to be at his best when a challenge is presented to him. Gone are the days of questioning his NCAA Tournament performance and upon us is the time in which he’s thriving.

At a rapid pace, it’s all coming together—at shooting guard.

Keep Him at the 2

Andrew Wiggins is just under 6’9″ in shoes with a 7’0″ wingspan and the versatility to be an effective scorer in the halfcourt and a terror in transition. He can also spot minutes at the 3 when he isn’t taking over games at the 2.

The key to that statement: spotting minutes, not playing full-time.

Wiggins is currently averaging 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals in 34.6 minutes per game. He upped those numbers to 19.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.4 steals in January and is adjusting well to having the T-Wolves’ big names back in the rotation.

In 22 starts at shooting guard, Wiggins is averaging 19.1 points on a slash line of .472/.368/.748. In 32 starts at small forward, those numbers plummet to 12.7 points on a slash line of .401/.333/.733.

Moving forward, the only thing keeping Wiggins from realizing his potential is playing out-of-position.

Defensively, Wiggins has the length, lateral quickness and explosiveness to be effective in man-to-man, zone or transition defensive sets at small forward. He can play the passing lanes, block shots and recover with extraordinary quickness.

While he may be capable of playing minutes at the 3, it’s clear that Wiggins should be starting at the 2.

The hurdle here is that Kevin Martin is currently averaging 20.6 points on an incredibly efficient slash line of .456/.400/.860. Most recently, he scored 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field.

Wiggins, 19, projects to be more significant to the five-year plan of the team of the team than Martin, 32.

Regardless of how it’s handled, the Timberwolves should be looking for ways to put Wiggins at shooting guard. He’s clearly better at the 2 than the 3, and that should be exploited—not avoided.

One way or another, the undeniable truth is this: Wiggins is on the fast track to stardom.

More from Hoops Habit

• The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout