The often ridiculed Andrew Wiggins is the X-Factor for the Golden State Warriors.
Andrew Wiggins is one of the brightest surprises of this season
A little over three years ago, Jimmy Butler requested a trade from his second team in the NBA, the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, this was not a simple trade request, as shots were fired in the wake of a crumbling situation in Minnesota. That seems to be all in the past now, particularly between Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler, two players who allegedly bumped heads repeatedly during their time with the Timberwolves.
Butler and Wiggins are with different teams now, with the latter being a part of the top-seed Golden State Warriors and Butler looking to build a contender down in South Beach with the Miami Heat. Interestingly enough, a former teammate of Butler's was Andre Iguodala, who signed with the Golden State Warriors to reunite with the original cast of the "Strength in Numbers" team from 2014-2019. Iguodala said that Jimmy Butler had nothing but good things to say about Wiggins, which may surprise those familiar with the drama in Minnesota from 2018.
"We had a common teammate — Jimmy Butler. Jimmy had nothing but positive things to say about Wiggs. He liked playing with Wiggs. That was all I needed to hear to be honest because Jimmy doesn't like anybody." - Andre Iguodala postgame conference.
Recommended Articles
While I'm not sure if Jimmy Butler truly enjoyed playing with Andrew Wiggins, the Minnesota Timberwolves edition, the Golden State Warriors have no reason not to like playing with the new and improved version of the former first overall pick. We often talk about how Draymond Green is so vital to Golden State on both ends of the floor, but Wiggins is, in his way, a true star in his role.
Draymond keeps the team connected on defense and is the team's leader on the floor. Still, Wiggins typically draws the assignment of guarding the opposing team's best player, which we know is as tough of a job as they come, given the overwhelming number of stars in the game today. Similar to Iguodala's role in his first stint with the Warriors, Wiggins allows Golden State to run its defensive philosophy to perfection.
On offense, Wiggins has done the necessary work to improve elements to his game that make him extremely valuable to the Warriors' system. A career 34.7% shooter from three, Wiggins has bumped his percentage up to over 42% for the season. He has even shot over 60% from beyond the arc in multiple games so far. He is averaging 18.7 points per game and is a great secondary creator, a role he is playing to perfection to complement the brilliance of Stephen Curry. If the Golden State Warriors manage to win it all this year, then we need to start talking about how vital Andrew Wiggins really is.
