Getty Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid joke during practice before the All-Star Game.
In the midst of a career-best season, Golden State Warriors star Andrew Wiggins just got another honor bestowed upon him — the title of “Splash Brother.”
As he was preparing for the first All-Star Game of his career, Wiggins got to interact with some of the league’s best players and earned some praise for his performance this year. One of the biggest came from Philadelphia 76ers star and MVP candidate Joel Embiid, who noted the change in Wiggins since moving to Golden State.
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Wiggins Joins Splash Brothers
In a clip shared by the NBA TV Twitter account, Wiggins and Embiid were seen talking during the All-Star practice on Saturday morning, with Embiid noting a significant jump in play for the Warriors wing.
“You went to Golden State and you turned into a Splash Brother too,” Embiid joked. “You’re just spotting up threes.”
Embiid was referring to the nickname given to Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, who have been two of the league’s best scorers and are considered to be two of the best pure shooters in NBA history.
“Bro, you went to Golden State & you turned into a Splash Brother too”
Embiid & Wiggins at #NBAAllStar 🤣
Wiggins’ former Minnesota Timberwolves teammate Karl-Anthony Towns also had some commentary on his play. The video showed Towns telling Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young that something flipped for Wiggins since he got to Golden State.
“I tell you, they got that secret, bro,” Towns said. “He goes to 40 percent threes.”
Wiggins is having the best shooting season of his eight-year career, hitting 41.4 percent of his three-pointers, well above his career average of 35.1 percent. Wiggins is making 48.1 percent of his field goals overall, also the best mark of his career.
Wiggins Brings an All-Around Game
While his shooting efficiency may be getting the most notice, Wiggins has also been one of the best wing defenders for the Warriors, helping the team become one of the league’s top defenses. Wiggins said he’s been able to learn a lot from watching teammate Draymond Green, a six-time All-Defensive Team selection who had been in the running for Defensive Player of the Year this season before missing the last 20 games with a back injury.
“Just learning, just by watching. You know, Draymond is a defensive specialist — one of a kind, all over the place,” Wiggins said, via The Sporting News.
“Even if I’m on the bench and he’s in the game, just watching his movement, watching what he does, how he anticipates stuff and just picking his brain, like ‘what did you see there? How did you get there?’
“Draymond is great, he’s the anchor of our defense.”
4x #NBAAllStar Draymond Green on the scene
After two seasons that ended outside the playoffs, Wiggins has helped spark a revival in Golden State. The team is second in the Western Conference at 42-17, behind only the Phoenix Suns, and have been a pick to win the Western Conference by many pundits. The team had three selections to the All-Star Game this season, the most in the league, with Green and Steph Curry joining Wiggins. Though Green will not be able to compete in the game, the Warriors said that he is set to return sometime after the All-Star break.
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