Andrew Wiggins seems to have found his true role in this Warriors team, especially this season. A selection to the All-Star Game as a starter, a full regular and more than honest Playoffs for the moment. Precious during Game 1 once morest the Mavs last night, the first pick of the 2014 Draft looks back on what the Warriors have done for him for two years.
For his first playoff game in the conference final, Andrew Wiggins did more than well. He responded on both sides of the field by being aggressive once morest the Dallas defense while making life difficult for Luka Doncic, below his standards. Indeed, the Canadian limited the Slovenian to only 20 points at 6/18 shooting, his worst total of points in these Playoffs, in addition to scratching his face. His 19 points (including 15 at halftime), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, one interception and one block also make him the real X factor of this game for the Warriors. Golden State stomped the Mavericks at home 112-87 and sent a clear message with star messenger Andrew Wiggins. His performance of the night allowed him to take stock of how the Warriors changed his career at the microphone of 95.7 The Game.
“It helps me see a new aspect of basketball. The culture, the people, the organization. More importantly, being surrounded by winners… It’s great. »
Andrew Wiggins on what joining the Warriors did for him:
“It helps me see a different side of the game. The culture, the people, the organization. Most importantly being around winners… It’s been great.”
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) May 19, 2022
The last sentence can be interpreted as a gigantic stray bullet for Wolves and Karl-Anthony Towns, with whom Wiggins clearly did not enjoy collective success (and he has his share of responsibility in that). But more generally, it is true that the Warriors are renowned for being a franchise with a square organization that puts its players in the best possible conditions., rookie as veteran, role player as franchise player, unlike Minnesota in recent years. When you have Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green (all three-time NBA champion) on your side, it’s different to play with guys without a ring and in a franchise without a single banner. And we see it in the Andrew Wiggins case. Granted, those stats have remained fairly stable throughout his career (apart from his 3-point percentage, which has increased since he’s been in San Francisco, how strange), but his magnitude and impact have increased dramatically. considerable. From now on, the Canadian is All-Star (holder, excused a little, even if we know it’s a joke), he is a real role player/lieutenant in one of the best franchises in the League, and can give free rein to their potential without the pressure of having to be a leader.
However, not sure that Andrew Wiggins still wears the Golden State Warriors jersey for very long. His level is not in question, but it is a salary problem for the 2023-24 season. Indeed, as Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chroniclethe core of Curry, Thompson and Green will receive $122.7 million (already $3.5 million more than the salary cap) at that time. Knowing in addition that Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney should be extended in the offseason (we are talking regarding 25 million per year for Poole and 6 million for Looney), the bill will be steep for GS and Wiggins might pay the price given that he will be a free agent from 2023. The Dubs might thus try to trade him in order to obtain a counterpart and avoid the risk of losing him for peanuts in a year.
Andrew Wiggins has really step-up since joining the Warriors and his organization. Nevertheless, his future in this franchise seems unclear. On the other hand, if it were to be traded, many teams might volunteer to recover it.
Source texte : San Francisco Chronicle
