Getty Golden State Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins handles the ball during Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals.
From an individual standpoint, Klay Thompson’s epic return from a two-plus year injury hell was undoubtedly the story of the 2021-22 campaign for the Golden State Warriors. However, Andrew Wiggins’ mid-career ascension/revival probably comes in as a close second.
Indeed, the former No. 1 overall pick’s evolution from being an undercooked blue-chipper to an All-Star and key championship cog was something to behold for Dub Nation.
Wiggins’ seemingly sudden transformation begs some questions, though. Specifically, why did he fail with the Timberwolves and what finally happened that allowed him to turn it all around in the Bay?
One NBA coach weighed in on Wiggins’ rocky start with Minnesota during a conversation with Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney.
Minnesota May Have Been the Worst Landing Spot Possible for Wiggins
According to the coach — whose team competes against Wiggins and the Dubs in the Western Conference — the 27-year-old’s milquetoast vibes were, more or less, an accurate reflection of his approach to being a pro baller.
“He drove a lot of people crazy in Minnesota. It was not just Jimmy Butler. You could see the potential but he did not approach things like he cared, like it mattered,” the coach told Deveney.
That said, there was a lot of organizational stuff working against him, too.
“The one thing I heard a lot at that time was, that organization was just not being run very seriously. There was no accountability. You know, Flip Saunders passed away after they got him and they went through some lost time. Tom Thibodeau got them to the playoffs but that was mostly a disaster with Jimmy Butler there.”
In any case, people around the league weren’t feeling what Wiggins was putting out there.
“I mean, you want a guy who gives a s**t and this was not a guy who gave a s**t from everyone you talked to at the beginning of his career.”
The Warriors Core Players Set a Standard for Wiggins to Follow
As the coach sees it, the change of scenery unlocked something that was already inside of Wiggins. Or, rather, the people Wiggins came to be surrounded by in his new digs did. And Warriors brass deserves some props for recognizing that it was there when others did not.
“You gotta credit Golden State for seeing the talent there and just knowing that he would learn by example. You learn by seeing what Draymond does and what Steph does. Steph’s practice routine, his after-practice routine, it is incredible. A guy like Andrew is going to learn from that.”
Really, it’s another in a long line of situations where being in the right place, with the right people, at the right time was essential to maximizing one’s potential.
“Just look at the deal they made. They got Wiggins, they got the pick they used for [Jonathan] Kuminga, and they got that for D’Angelo Russell. That is highway robbery! That is how little the rest of the league thought of Andrew Wiggins. The Wolves were trying to get him and his contract out of there, and they gave up a Top 10 pick to do it.
“Now look what the Warriors did with that. So, OK, some of what happened in Minnesota was Andrew’s fault. But a lot was the team. What kind of franchise trades that pick plus Wiggins for D’Angelo Russell?”