Former No.1 draft pick Andrew Wiggins was nothing but pleased after the Golden State Warriors’ win over the 2019 NBA Champion Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
With the Warriors winning four of their last five games, Wiggins details how happy he is to be in the lineup at Golden State.
Wiggins Is the ‘Happiest’ With the Warriors
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In a nail-biting, 106-105 win at Chase Center over the Raptors, the Warriors are starting to look like a playoff team once again. The Warriors improved to 6-4, beginning the speculation of a Western Conference Finals appearance.
After barely escaping with the win, an obviously ecstatic Wiggins shared how happy he is with the Warriors, per Nick Friedell on Twitter, comparing it to the rest of his seven-year career.
Interesting answer from Wiggins — on if this is happiest he’s been in career: “For sure. We’re winning. Everyone’s happy. We’re getting after it. And I feel like we’re only getting better. We have so much room to grow. So by the end result, I feel like we’re going to be great.”
“For sure, Wiggins told reporters when asked was he happy in Golden State. We’re winning. Everyone’s happy. We’re getting after it. And I feel like we’re only getting better. We have so much room to grow. So by the end result, I feel like we’re going to be great.”
“And right now we don’t have Klay. So with Klay, when he comes back, that’s going to be a scary sight. So we just got to keep it going.”
Wiggins made sure to add how strong the Warriors will be once All-Star Klay Thompson returns from an Achilles injury that has him out the entirety of the season. As of now, Wiggins is attempting to fill in Thompson’s shoes, although that seems really hard.
After the team’s rocky start in his first whole year with the Warriors, Wiggins has been making an impact in the last few games. It makes sense that the Warriors are beginning to win now that Wiggins is playing a lot better. Wiggins had a big night against the Raptors, scoring 17 points added to his two rebounds and four assists.
Outside of his scoring, it was how he performed defensively that helped the Warriors to their much-needed win. Wiggins had the pressured job of defending Raptors’ Pascal Siakam on the final possession of the game that could have put the Raptors over the Warriors. Wiggins held his own, forcing Siakam to miss the game-winning shot, becoming the unlikely star of Sunday’s game.
Warriors Culture Is Different Than Minnesota
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Before becoming a part of the Warriors’ roster, Wiggins was a part of the Minnesota Timberwolves enduring several losing seasons. While the former top draft pick has not been considered a failure, he definitely has not lived up to the potential of his draft stock.
“Here the culture is different,” Wiggins said in a press conference per the Warriors SoundCloud. “Here everything is different, especially with the guys that I have behind me — it’s not just me out there on defense. We got Draymond [Green], we got Steph [Curry]. We got Kelly [Oubre] doing a hell of a job. The guys behind me, I know they got my back. It’s great here. It’s great.”
Although it seems to be shots at Karl Anthony-Towns and the Timberwolves, Wiggins meant it as a compliment to his new organization in Golden State. He referenced how great it is to be playing with Draymond Green and how much of a force he is. Although Wiggins felt as if he didn’t fill his role in Minnesota, he is fitting into his role in Golden State much better.
With Steph Curry being one of the greatest shooters in the league, Green doing it all, and rookie James Wiseman starting his NBA career as a force, Wiggins is surrounded by a solid team where he can grow into his role in the starting lineup.
Wiggins does see hope for the Warriors’ future. For the immediate future and even the more distant one when Thompson returns. While the forward could still use some improvement, it appears that Wiggins is happy in his new home of Golden State.
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Andrew Wiggins ‘Happiest’ With Warriors After ‘Different Culture’ Losing With Timberwolves