• Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

The first pick of the 2014 NBA Draft and last season’s NBA rookie of the year Andrew Wiggins has been keeping himself fairly busy during the off season. This summer he continues to show his growth as he participated in the FIBA Americas tournament for Team Canada where he hoped to lead the team to its first Olympic berth since 2000.

Wiggins was averaging 15ppg in the tournament and led the team to some very convincing victories against some good international talent. Team Canada lost their opening game, however they became one of the hottest teams in the tournament, winning 7 straight games by an average of 20+ points until they were stunned by Venezuela in the semi-final round game on Friday.

In his rookie season he started off slowly as he transitioned and adjusted to the pace of the NBA, however after the All-Star break he took off running and began showing the world why he was the number one pick.

Before Wiggins was drafted there were many questions. Scouts and the media questioned his toughness, as he is a very soft-spoken individual and seemed to shy away from the spotlight, however he has answered his critics without getting in front of a microphone. He did it the old fashion way, he let his game do the talking.

After a slow start he really picked up his scoring and improved his overall impact on the game in January. He became aggressive and began attacking the rim regularly and with bad intentions; ask Rudy Gobert and Omer Asik. For a young player, he has a very developed post game. He is a very consistent scoring threat from the post he just needs to improve his outside shooting. When he played against some elite NBA talent he didn’t disappoint, 33points against the Cavs and a highlight post move with LeBron guarding him, in another game, spectacular defense on James Harden, blocking him leading to a fast break, finishing with a strong dunk at the end of the play. He is already a high level defender with his size, length and athletic ability. If this is how Andrew Wiggins likes to talk then this is how he should continue talking.

With his rapid improvement the Timberwolves should look to add some veterans to the team. They have their emotional leader in Kevin Garnet who was in Wiggins’ shoes when he was first drafted by Minnesota what seems like eons ago in 1995. They need a reliable point guard as Ricky Rubio has had an injury-riddled career thus far. Drafting Karl Anthony Towns was also a great move; they got big and young with one pick.  Wiggins will soon become the face of the franchise however he has to be ready to shoulder that responsibility. The Wolves are young and talented. Are they ready to hunt as a pack next season?

Photo Credit : FIBA

Twitter: Sherman@shermangmz1

Email: shermangmz1@gmail.com

By Sherman Gomez

"Basketball is my favorite sport, I like the way they dribble up and down the court." "I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller." "Last week messed around and got a triple double." I write about basketball sometimes and then I try to go play....

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