Minnesota Timberwolves: 3 players facing most pressure in 2019-20

1. Andrew Wiggins

Simply stated, it’s put up or shut up time for Andrew Wiggins. There are already rumors that the Timberwolves were looking to pass him off for D’Angelo Russell, trade him for Russell Westbrook or just get rid of him in general.

It seems like Minnesota is already preparing for the departure of Wiggins, even though he still has three years left on his contract, which is arguably one of the top five worst contracts in the league. Covington could be moved up to take Wiggins spot, otherwise, Okogie and Bates-Diop could play the small forward position and Jake Layman is an interesting young player.

The main problem with Wiggins has been that, as it was reported according to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, he’s just not that dominant in any one area. As an Eastern Conference scout put it:

"“[Wiggins] always leaves me wanting more…He doesn’t rebound. He doesn’t defend. He doesn’t get assists. He doesn’t shoot well. He’ll score … sometimes, but that’s all he does.”"

Wiggins has also been labeled as “soft” by many in both the media and in NBA front offices, with one Western Conference executive stating:

"“I don’t think he ever got better. He peaked young. He’s a great athlete, but he lacks toughness game to game and he isn’t always aggressive. He’s not a great shooter, and he needs to attack the basket more.”"

With quotes like these, it’s easy to see that Wiggins is not too well-liked around the league, and the question is, what happens to him?

If he starts stepping up, Wiggins could easily be a max player in the league. But that’s a big if. The main problem he needs to overcome is his ego, and that can be a challenge, especially for young players. If he doesn’t step up, then Wiggins could very well be seeing the end of his run on an NBA team at the price that he’s currently making. Other teams will still probably take a gamble on him, but not for anything more than 50 percent of what he’s making now.

The most infuriating part about all of this is that Wiggins has the ability. He’s had breakout games in every season, and last year he scored 40 points in Saunder’s first game at the helm. It’s not a motor or a skill issue, it’s a drive issue. Wiggins needs to apply himself and be ok not being the No. 1 option on this team. If he can do that, he could have a long career in the NBA, and even make another max contract.

But if Wiggins flops again in 2019-2020, then he shouldn’t be expecting another max contract come his way any time soon.