Wiggs, happy birthday!
Wiggs, happy birthday!
Greetings on your birthday, Andrew
You must go all out for the Dubs.
This week marks Andrew Wiggins’ 29th birthday. He is the player that connects the younger prospects like Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, and Brandin Podziemski with the more experienced Warriors core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
An intriguing NBA tale is that of Wiggins. a former Cleveland Cavaliers #1 overall pick who was dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Kevin Love, and who went on to win Rookie of the Year. The actual chance that Wiggins may have played with LeBron James, a player who has a reputation for improving teammates, is one of the greatest career what-ifs.
Instead, Wiggins’ career in Minnesota stagnated to the point where, given his enormous contract, many began to believe that he was the worst basketball player in the league. Luckily for him and Dub Nation, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors, where he emerged as an NBA champion in 2022 and an All-Star starter.
It’s incredible how crucial a setting is to achievement! Nevertheless, the person the Warriors saw emerge as possibly their second-best player during their most recent championship run hasn’t been the same Wiggins every time.
The San Francisco Chronicle wrote this article about Wiggins’ lackluster play in January:
Put another way, one of the main reasons the Warriors are four games below.500 this season is that a player who is owed $30.1 million in his age-32 season in 2026–2027. The most perplexing aspect of all of this is that Wiggins has not provided a compelling reason for his early downturn.
He began an All-Star Game 23 months ago. Just 19 months prior, he helped the Warriors defeat Boston in the Finals by averaging 18.3 points on 44.6% shooting, 8.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.5 steals over the course of six games.
Wiggins is currently among the worst rotation players in the league, despite all signs pointing to his health. With a 49.5 true shooting percentage, he is ranked 195th out of the 199 qualified players. Wiggins, who is 28 years old and still should be in his prime, is ranked in the seventh percentile defensively and the 23rd percentile offensively according to advanced statistics.
His huge salary and flashes of excellent two-way play made him a hot commodity in trade rumors, as they suggested he might be a big-time player. The Warriors, however, chose to remain silent, having faith that the Wiggins they have grown to know and love will support them in their hour of need. He’s having an impact on the game on both ends, and his recent performance on the court shows that.