NBA: Biggest X-factor for all 30 teams in the 2019-20 season

Minnesota Timberwolves: Andrew Wiggins

Karl-Anthony Towns has asserted himself as one of the best young talents in the league with consecutive All-Star appearances. All great players need a running mate, and KAT is no different.

The issue stems from a certain someone’s inability to produce at the level expected of him to help elevate the Minnesota Timberwolves into perennial playoff contenders.

To be clear, Andrew Wiggins isn’t a bust. No bust averages 19.4 points per game throughout his career, but it’s frustrating to watch such a naturally talented player leave so much potential on the table.

He’s a great isolation scorer, but he does so with a shot selection that grows more outdated by the year, heavy on the long 2-point jumpers that drive analytics experts mad.

A bouncy 6’8” wing, many pegged Wiggins as the next great defender, but with a level of effort that comes just as often as it goes, he hasn’t become that guy.

Not every player can be a star, but Wiggins is no ordinary talent. Even if Joel Embiid wasn’t hurt, Wiggins was set to go top-3 in the 2014 Draft. He may never become an elite playmaker, but there’s a level of aggression he has to reach.

Of the 32 players with more than 14.0 nightly field goal attempts last season, Wiggins ranked 24th in free-throws per game.

Not too long ago, Minnesota was the team of the future and Towns and Wiggins the next best duo.

At 24 years old, time hasn’t run out on Wiggins to ascend to KAT’s level just yet, but every passing year of his exorbitant contract pulls Wolves fans farther away from that once realistic dream.