TWO-WAY WIGGS IS BACK, BABY!
Well well well, I hope you haven’t sold your Andrew Wiggins stock folks. After a start to the season so disjointed and inconsistent that he drew the ire of all Dub Nation trade machine specialists around the planet, Two-Way Wiggs is reemerging for the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors knocked off the Philadelphia 76ers last night 119-107 in Chase Center, with Wiggins putting his fingerprints all over the W. He scored 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting (80%!) with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and a block with only one turnover. He looked like every bit of the guy Dub Nation saw dominating the NBA Finals back in 2022.
But don’t take my word for, check the tape:
Niiiice. Now for those suspicious that last night’s strong play might be more of a fluke than a harbinger of greatness to come, let me remind you that recently Big Wiggs has been balling pretty hard.
In the double-overtime extravaganza against the Los Angeles Lakers where the Dubs lost on a pair of game-winning LeBron James free throws, Wiggins looked quite activated. His 22 points came on hyper efficient 8-of-12 shooting from the field, nailing 3-of-4 attempts from downtown. He added 5 rebounds, 3 assists, a block and 2 steals, looking engaged on the defensive end as he battled with King James. He limited James to 2-of-6 shooting from the field with 0 free throws, which is about as good as it gets on a legend like that.
In the game before that, a devastating loss to the Sacramento Kings on what will forever be known as the Harrison Barnes Revenge Night, he scored 17 points on a very tidy 6-of-8 shooting from the field, knocking down 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. And for the record, Wiggins only guarded HB for just under two minutes so he wasn’t to blame for all of those buckets the Black Falcon dropped on the Dubs.
Wiggins in his last 5 games:
-17.8 points on 61/44/81 splits
-5 rebounds
-2.6 assists
-1 steal
-1.2 blocksHe’s been kept at the 3, playing POA, and getting more consistent playing time to round back into the form we’ve been accustomed to before this season.
— Jim Park (@Sheridanblog) January 31, 2024
If this trend keeps up, the man who once started an All-Star game for the Warriors might reelevate his status back to the kind of player Golden State believed he could be when they liberated him from the icy tundra that is Minnesota Timberwolves basketball.