Minnesota Timberwolves: 5 goals for the 2018 offseason

1. Get more out of Andrew Wiggins

Since being drafted No. 1 overall back in 2014, Andrew Wiggins has oozed potential.

At 6’8″ with a 44-inch vertical leap, he was supposed to become one of the best two-way players in the game. He was supposed to become one of the next great superstar players, grouped together with guys like Giannis Antetokuonpo and KAT.

It’s not to say he’s been a bust in his four years in the league — it’s hard to be a bust with a career scoring average of 19.7 points per game — but that appears to be the only thing Wiggins can do, and if he’s not scoring, he’s not doing anything productive.

Averaging only 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game for his career, while being a career 33 percent outside shooter, Wiggins’ scoring is only so valuable when he can’t do anything else.

Arguably the most alarming sign of Wiggins’ development has been the questioning of his effort by some within the Wolves organization. Before signing him to a max contract, Wolves owner Glen Taylor wanted “the commitment to be a better player than you are today.”

Butler reportedly had issues with Wiggins’ work ethic and effort on defense, an area in which he’s similarly failed to live up to his potential.

If Minnesota is to ascend among the NBA’s elite, Wiggins has to work towards becoming the best version of himself. As the third option behind Butler and Towns, he won’t always have the ball in his hands. He needs to work on thriving in other ways besides scoring.

It’s not about the stats — although that never hurts — it’s about being active on the offensive end by not just standing in the corner, and becoming a guy that Thibs can confidently stick onto the opposing team’s best offensive threat.

Next: Complete 2018 NBA Draft grades for all 30 teams

There’s a reason Wiggins was a top pick. In order for the Wolves to reach their full potential on the court, he’s going to have to show it.