[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

Wiggins has taken a lot of heat this season for not being as offensively developed as many thought he should be. He, along with a handful of other rookies, have been slowly bringing up their shooting percentages after a rough first part of the season. 

Wiggins is currently averaging 14PPG on 43 FG% and 38 3FG%. Over his last 8 games, he has averaged 21 PPG and shown aggressiveness that makes me think he could be a really good scorer in the NBA. 

For reference, Paul George averaged 8PPG on 45 FG% and 29 3FG% in his rookie season. His career averages are 15PPG on 43 FG% and 36 3FG%. 

One number that troubles me is Wiggins rebounding, especially given his athleticism. He is only averaging 4RPG in 32 minutes of action. Given his athleticism, I would think that would be higher. I think the reason for this is twofold: 1) His lack of strength causes him to lose or get out-muscled on at least a few rebounds a game 2) Because he is guarding the opponents best perimeter player, he is often out of position to help on the boards. 

Over the span of those  excellent scoring games, his team has not won once. This is typical for a team with five rotation players who are rookies or sophomores. It is also typical of a team that has three of its starters injured. 

By the end of the season, I would like to see Wiggins numbers around 17 and 6 on 46% and 38% shooting, but he is exceeding my expectations. 

 

 

 

[HaleParticipant]

I made the comparison on realgm (and maybe on here?) of Wiggins rookie year being 2nd year Paul George. With the current stretch he’s on I may have underrated him.

[HaleParticipant]

I made the comparison on realgm (and maybe on here?) of Wiggins rookie year being 2nd year Paul George. With the current stretch he’s on I may have underrated him.

[kngojcParticipant]

I watch all of the Wolves games, and he has gone through a heck of a lot of development so far. His offense over the last several games has been much improved, but taken with a grain of salt since he has to be the number one option without Pek or Martin. He doesn’t get as many rebounds because, well, this isn’t a very good rebounding team. Dieng is the only one I see that actually goes up and gets rebounds (Lavine does this occasionally too), while Thad waits for the ball to come to him, and everyone off the bench watches the ball. On defense, I don’t see this whole lockdown defender thing yet. He has all the tools, absolutely. But when I see him playing defense, he bites on too many fakes, then tries to compensate by not pressuring the shot enough for fear of fouling or getting blown by. 

I’ll most likely be killed for this comparison, but I’ve seen so many other ones thrown at him that I just can’t see sticking. The one I see him growing into (with growing into being the point of emphasis) is a Dwyane Wade type player. He’s got the ability to play tough defense and get rebounds, although that isn’t always his primary goal. On offense, I love watching him operate out of the post because he can get around his guy with quickness going baseline, and he showed a brilliant spin move driving into the lane and finishing in traffic a few games ago, I think against Denver but I could be wrong. 

I think shooting for a 16ppg average is a little high for him, and I’d expect him to settle in closer to low 15 or high 14 with 4-5 rebounds. As he progresses, I think it’ll become more about making the most out of opportunities and becoming more efficient than about volume scoring. I see the volume scoring much more from Bazz, and I like that tandem going forward with one guy being the offensive leader and the other being the defensive leader. They’re both young and definitely both hard workers, so I’m excited to see how they develop together. 

 

[kngojcParticipant]

I watch all of the Wolves games, and he has gone through a heck of a lot of development so far. His offense over the last several games has been much improved, but taken with a grain of salt since he has to be the number one option without Pek or Martin. He doesn’t get as many rebounds because, well, this isn’t a very good rebounding team. Dieng is the only one I see that actually goes up and gets rebounds (Lavine does this occasionally too), while Thad waits for the ball to come to him, and everyone off the bench watches the ball. On defense, I don’t see this whole lockdown defender thing yet. He has all the tools, absolutely. But when I see him playing defense, he bites on too many fakes, then tries to compensate by not pressuring the shot enough for fear of fouling or getting blown by. 

I’ll most likely be killed for this comparison, but I’ve seen so many other ones thrown at him that I just can’t see sticking. The one I see him growing into (with growing into being the point of emphasis) is a Dwyane Wade type player. He’s got the ability to play tough defense and get rebounds, although that isn’t always his primary goal. On offense, I love watching him operate out of the post because he can get around his guy with quickness going baseline, and he showed a brilliant spin move driving into the lane and finishing in traffic a few games ago, I think against Denver but I could be wrong. 

I think shooting for a 16ppg average is a little high for him, and I’d expect him to settle in closer to low 15 or high 14 with 4-5 rebounds. As he progresses, I think it’ll become more about making the most out of opportunities and becoming more efficient than about volume scoring. I see the volume scoring much more from Bazz, and I like that tandem going forward with one guy being the offensive leader and the other being the defensive leader. They’re both young and definitely both hard workers, so I’m excited to see how they develop together. 

 

[HOops1562Participant]

 He’s not that underdeveloped like some people thought …. playing at Kansas they didn’t play to his strengths as much .. he’s got a nice little post game that i didn’t see coming … a lot of people said Jabari would be the instant scorer but Wiggins hasn’t done too bad himself

[HOops1562Participant]

 He’s not that underdeveloped like some people thought …. playing at Kansas they didn’t play to his strengths as much .. he’s got a nice little post game that i didn’t see coming … a lot of people said Jabari would be the instant scorer but Wiggins hasn’t done too bad himself

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 Jabari is the guy who scored more in transition and moving without the ball and off offensive rebounds and just doing the dirty work.  Wiggins is the guy who is the post/iso scorer.  Of course, a lot of that has to do with coaching and situation.  Wiggins was force fed the ball every third quarter early in the season, while Parker didn’t get a lot of touches on offense, especially since the Bucks starters were pretty bad at moving the ball early in the season and Parker almost never played with the backups.

[phila9012Participant]

 The timberwolves havent been moving the ball that well either. Lavine is very raw and played SG in college had been running the offense. Mo williams is a solid distributer. I think wiggins will take another step forward when rubio comes back. Wiggins is athletic and can shoot. Rubio will find him another 3 or 4 easy shots a game when he gets back. 

[phila9012Participant]

 The timberwolves havent been moving the ball that well either. Lavine is very raw and played SG in college had been running the offense. Mo williams is a solid distributer. I think wiggins will take another step forward when rubio comes back. Wiggins is athletic and can shoot. Rubio will find him another 3 or 4 easy shots a game when he gets back. 

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 Jabari is the guy who scored more in transition and moving without the ball and off offensive rebounds and just doing the dirty work.  Wiggins is the guy who is the post/iso scorer.  Of course, a lot of that has to do with coaching and situation.  Wiggins was force fed the ball every third quarter early in the season, while Parker didn’t get a lot of touches on offense, especially since the Bucks starters were pretty bad at moving the ball early in the season and Parker almost never played with the backups.

[OhCanada-Participant]

 4-RPG puts Wiggins amongst the league leaders in rebounding for his position. Lebron averaged about 5-RPG his rookie season.

[phila9012Participant]

 That should increase with time. It happens a few times per game where he should get a rebound but another player goes after harder than him and gets it. He has a hard time just grabbing the ball in the air because he isn’t that strong

[phila9012Participant]

 That should increase with time. It happens a few times per game where he should get a rebound but another player goes after harder than him and gets it. He has a hard time just grabbing the ball in the air because he isn’t that strong

[OhCanada-Participant]

 4-RPG puts Wiggins amongst the league leaders in rebounding for his position. Lebron averaged about 5-RPG his rookie season.

[DolanCareParticipant]

The OP is saying good things. I’ve never understood the criticism for Wiggins to be honest. Bill Simmons and other analysts have accused him of coasting through games- and it is true that he can disappear at times. But he’s not Kobe Bryant, and will never be that kind of player who needs to touch the ball. It’s more than fine to be a player who picks his spots and needs to be set up by the point guard.

And as the OP stated, that was the case of Paul George! Coming out of Fresno, George was raw as hell. He was an atheltic guy who could shoot. He coudl shoot better than Wiggins could coming out, but simultaneously Wiggins is a superior athelte comapred to George. (A scary thought). 

My main pet peeve is that alot of people who claim they know soooo much about basketball don’t follow these kids before college. If you had you would know that Wiggins domainted his age group throughout his young life…. but he’s labeled an underacheiver after one up and down college season? Ridiculous. 

 

 

[DolanCareParticipant]

The OP is saying good things. I’ve never understood the criticism for Wiggins to be honest. Bill Simmons and other analysts have accused him of coasting through games- and it is true that he can disappear at times. But he’s not Kobe Bryant, and will never be that kind of player who needs to touch the ball. It’s more than fine to be a player who picks his spots and needs to be set up by the point guard.

And as the OP stated, that was the case of Paul George! Coming out of Fresno, George was raw as hell. He was an atheltic guy who could shoot. He coudl shoot better than Wiggins could coming out, but simultaneously Wiggins is a superior athelte comapred to George. (A scary thought). 

My main pet peeve is that alot of people who claim they know soooo much about basketball don’t follow these kids before college. If you had you would know that Wiggins domainted his age group throughout his young life…. but he’s labeled an underacheiver after one up and down college season? Ridiculous. 

 

 

[HitsterParticipant]

 Paul George was considered a good prospect but had nothing like the hype Wiggins had but the comparison is very interesting.

I would not worry too much about an SF’s rebounding in his rookie year and with Pekovic and Rubio back Wiggins will get better service and the floor will be spread more giving him better quality shots.

The T-Wolves do suck this season but having traded away their best player and with the best two remaining players currently out, they are giving the younger guys experience. Get Rubio and Pek back, another high draft pick, give Wiggins time to develop and the future should start looking up for the T-Wolves.

Interestingly with Rubio out the T-Wolves are still 11th on team assists per game so they are creating chances. Problem is ppg allowed 30th out of 30 hence the 5-29 record.

 

 

 

 

[HitsterParticipant]

 Paul George was considered a good prospect but had nothing like the hype Wiggins had but the comparison is very interesting.

I would not worry too much about an SF’s rebounding in his rookie year and with Pekovic and Rubio back Wiggins will get better service and the floor will be spread more giving him better quality shots.

The T-Wolves do suck this season but having traded away their best player and with the best two remaining players currently out, they are giving the younger guys experience. Get Rubio and Pek back, another high draft pick, give Wiggins time to develop and the future should start looking up for the T-Wolves.

Interestingly with Rubio out the T-Wolves are still 11th on team assists per game so they are creating chances. Problem is ppg allowed 30th out of 30 hence the 5-29 record.

 

 

 

 

[DanielcmccartyParticipant]

 Hes getting to shoot whatever he wants on a bad team. I will say that even guys like Rudy Gay had their 20ppg seasons. He will average 15 this year. 18 next year and probably max out at 20-21ppg. The difference between 20ppg and the 27-29ppg players like kobe, lebron, durant, melo from the wing is the ability to post up or hit 3s. Wiggins has a solid post up game and shooting near 40% from the 3 is really good as well, but I just dont see him getting much more then 21ppg. He just doesnt have that feel of a superstar like those other players do. I also dont think Melo is a superstar, he just a ball stopping isolation player that has gotten to shoot whatever he wants for the past 18-9 years, Wiggins is also stuck on a bad team which could inflate scoirng some. Playing with other top players limits your field goal attempts, ask spurs players or former heat or current cavs players. 

[DanielcmccartyParticipant]

 Hes getting to shoot whatever he wants on a bad team. I will say that even guys like Rudy Gay had their 20ppg seasons. He will average 15 this year. 18 next year and probably max out at 20-21ppg. The difference between 20ppg and the 27-29ppg players like kobe, lebron, durant, melo from the wing is the ability to post up or hit 3s. Wiggins has a solid post up game and shooting near 40% from the 3 is really good as well, but I just dont see him getting much more then 21ppg. He just doesnt have that feel of a superstar like those other players do. I also dont think Melo is a superstar, he just a ball stopping isolation player that has gotten to shoot whatever he wants for the past 18-9 years, Wiggins is also stuck on a bad team which could inflate scoirng some. Playing with other top players limits your field goal attempts, ask spurs players or former heat or current cavs players. 

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

 Hey Daniel. Thanks for the response. I’ve got a couple of thoughts for you. 

1. If you watch Wiggins play, you know that he is not a Rudy Gay Iso-type of player. He doesn’t jack up as many shots a game as he can in order to get his points. He plays within the confines of Saunders’ system, is a very willing passer, and picks his spots to attack. He has a completely different kind of basketball IQ. He ‘knows how to play the game the right way’ as some people say. 

2. As a 19 year old rookie, he has a good post game and he is shooting 38% from three. Paul George didn’t get his postup game until last season, when he averaged 24 PPG on the best team in the East. Good teams sometimes have elite scorers, in the right system,

3. Wiggins has the raw material and basketball IQ to score points on the fast break, in the post, and spotting up for three. If he could only add a few dribble moves, he will be very tough to stop. 

4. Even if he didn’t average 27-29 points a game, and few players do, 20 points a game in nothing to sneeze at, especially if he shooting a good percentage. If you combine that potential scoring with his elite defense, he is an elite player. 

It remains to be seen if Wiggins can become an elite scorer, but if he is following George’s career arch, he has already over-acheived. 

 

 

 

 

[treytalkssports.comParticipant]

 Hey Daniel. Thanks for the response. I’ve got a couple of thoughts for you. 

1. If you watch Wiggins play, you know that he is not a Rudy Gay Iso-type of player. He doesn’t jack up as many shots a game as he can in order to get his points. He plays within the confines of Saunders’ system, is a very willing passer, and picks his spots to attack. He has a completely different kind of basketball IQ. He ‘knows how to play the game the right way’ as some people say. 

2. As a 19 year old rookie, he has a good post game and he is shooting 38% from three. Paul George didn’t get his postup game until last season, when he averaged 24 PPG on the best team in the East. Good teams sometimes have elite scorers, in the right system,

3. Wiggins has the raw material and basketball IQ to score points on the fast break, in the post, and spotting up for three. If he could only add a few dribble moves, he will be very tough to stop. 

4. Even if he didn’t average 27-29 points a game, and few players do, 20 points a game in nothing to sneeze at, especially if he shooting a good percentage. If you combine that potential scoring with his elite defense, he is an elite player. 

It remains to be seen if Wiggins can become an elite scorer, but if he is following George’s career arch, he has already over-acheived. 

 

 

 

 

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