With Andrew Wiggins’ recent offensive production, it’s easy to forget that he was in a slump only a month ago. In a six-game span beginning with a game against the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 10, and ending with one in Denver on Dec. 20, Wiggins was shooting 33.7 percent from the field, 20 percent from deep and averaging 13.5 points per game. Jamal Crawford was taking his fourth-quarter minutes, and people were wondering why the Minnesota Timberwolves had committed nearly $150 million to him over the next five years.
Not only is Wiggins starting to score again, he’s also beginning to stuff the box score. He had nine rebounds and four assists to go along with 21 points against a depleted Los Angeles Lakers team on New Year’s Day, and is averaging 5.8 rebounds and nearly two assists to go along with 20 points per game on 43.4 percent shooting from the field since then.
He’s not going to be confused for a point guard, and he’s only shooting 26.3 percent from long range during this recent four-game stretch. He also benefits from playing the 2 rather than the 3 when it comes to rebounding, meaning he’s usually matched up against a shorter, slighter player. But things are turning around since the calendar turned to 2018, and Tom Thibodeau seems to think it can continue.
“Andrew’s really doing a lot of things out there for us. His rebounding is improved, his playmaking, the scoring, the energy. He’s doing a lot of really good things. And that’s been key for us,” Thibodeau said after a 127-99 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan. 8, where Wiggins had six rebounds to go along with his 25 points on 9-of-19 shooting.
“When you start to see the blocked shots, the rebounds and the floor game — the scoring has always been there, he’s a very gifted scorer — but it’s all the other things that are starting to come,” Thibodeau added, speaking broadly about his recent improvement. “He’s making plays. He’s blocking shots. He’s getting deflections. He’s doing a lot of things that are impacting winning, and that’s probably the most important thing.”
He feels that Wiggins will become a more complete player as his five-year, $148 million extension kicks in. Wiggins appears to be good for about 20-25 points per night, and he’s always showed signs of defensive potential. In fact, when he was in that slump, he did improve his defense, and it hasn’t gone away as his offensive production has picked up again. But whether he’ll regularly grab boards and dish dimes is another question altogether.
Rebounding, especially defensive rebounds, should be seen as part of a player’s defensive repertoire. It’s a change of possession, even if it might not lead to transition scoring like a steal or intercepted pass does. And Wiggins can offer something to the team if he’s not an elite passer, since his two primary instincts when he has the ball should either be to shoot if he’s open — especially from 3-point range — or get to the basket.
The key when it comes to passing is that Wiggins needs to avoid taking inefficient shots. Outside of Jimmy Butler, who seems to score “force of will” points late in games on a regular basis from areas that the make advanced analytics experts cringe, few starters who play heavy minutes can get away with regularly shooting mid-range shots.
Wiggins needs to pass the ball in order to avoid taking bad shots. Conversely, he should always be put in a position to score when he has the ball. With so many scoring options on the floor, other teams cannot always double-team him, and if he’s dishing in the paint to open teammates near the hoop — which he has done more with more frequency recently — it becomes difficult to collapse the defense on him when he gets past his primary defender.
The problem is that when Wiggins goes cold, his instinct is to shoot until he gets hot again — game situation and placement on the floor be damned. “When I’m in a slump, I just shoot until I’m not in it anymore,” says Wiggins. “That’s basically what I do.”
While that may be in his best interest, it might hurt the team. Aside from missing shots, which is bad enough, he’s taking away possessions from his teammates. It might be a necessary evil, but one that shouldn’t be acted upon regularly. Wiggins needs to score, but if his shot is off, he should offer other things beyond scoring — namely rebounding, shot-blocking and defense.
“The big thing is the way Karl and Andrew are seeing the game now. … That was the biggest challenge coming into the season, how quickly could everyone adapt,” said Thibodeau at Saturday’s practice. “Then the willingness of everyone to sacrifice to bring the best out of the group. There’s a lot of guys that are sacrificing things, whether it’s shots, guys who started who are coming off the bench. If you want to win, those are the things that you have to do.”
“He can play great when he doesn’t shoot the ball well,” Thibodeau said at practice after the win over Cleveland. “Everyone has nights when they don’t shoot the ball great — what else can you do? His defense. Rebounding the ball. Getting out on the break. Making plays for other people.
“He had three blocked shots the other night (versus New Orleans on Jan. 6). His activity, overall activity, has been great. And just to make the game easy for everyone. He’s got great athleticism. He runs the floor. There’s gonna be easy scoring opportunities.”
He doesn’t need to be the team’s star player — that’s Butler for now, and may eventually become Towns — he’s just got to be a key cog — a worthy member of the “Big Three.” He’s got to improve his 3-point shot to help the Wolves in the space-and-pace NBA. He’s got to be a wing-stopper so he and Butler can shut down opponents’ best forwards on any given night, as he did when he held Paul George to 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting on Wednesday. He’s got to improve his free-throw percentage (62.6) so that he can capitalize on opportunities when opponents foul him as he goes to the basket.
It’s a lot to ask, which is why he got the max extension. It was based on potential which he has shown all along. He will justify the max by playing to his capabilities on a consistent basis. If he does that, having a player with his skillset without the baggage of wanting to be treated as the best player, will make him worth every penny of what he’s owed.
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