For the Golden State Warriors and their fans, and even for those around the world who love the NBA, today is a day of universal celebration. First of all, we have to congratulate warriors star Stephen Curry today finally broke the NBA all-time record for three-point shooting, Curry played nearly 35 minutes in this game, 8 of 19, including 5 of 14 three-pointers, with 22 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Secondly, we have to congratulate the Warriors on their 105-96 away win over the New York Knicks, widening the gap with the second-place Suns in the West to one win. You can imagine that today basically all the news will revolve around the Warriors winning and Curry's record-breaking, but we can't ignore the steady performance of this game, Andrew Wiggins, who scored 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists on 6-of-13 shooting (3 of 6 three-pointers), it's time to give the career-studded former champion some affirmation.
It was definitely a fantastic season for Wiggins and gave him a winning feel that he had never experienced in his career. The Warriors have a 23-5 record so far this season, topping the league, and while Wiggins may still not be named an All-Star, it's the first time in his career that he's played like a star player.
Wiggins, who was hailed as a talent for the 2014 Season of the Year, was initially drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers but was soon sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the big deal involving Kevin Loaf. Luck came to the Cavaliers to help LeBron James bring the first championship trophy in team history to his hometown team, and as for Wiggins, although the Timberwolves have been in a state of loss, he has achieved personal success.
In fact, in this process, the Timberwolves had the opportunity to succeed in the playoffs, when the team brought in Jimmy Butler, plus Carl Anthony Towns and some other key players, the Timberwolves finally walked out of the embarrassing situation of missing the playoffs for many years, but unfortunately they were eliminated in the first round. The Timberwolves had hoped to make a comeback the following season, but Butler finally chose to leave the team because he was dissatisfied with the attitude of the young players in the team, and the Timberwolves entered the rebuild, and Wiggins, who signed a maximum salary contract, also ushered in the end of his Timberwolves career.
Before the 2020 trade deadline, the Timberwolves sent Wiggins and the 2021 first-round pick to the Golden State Warriors in order to get De Angelo Russell, and the Warriors later used this draft pick to select Jonathan Cuminga, and Wiggins, who joined the Warriors, finally ushered in the highlight of his career here, and now he is no longer the salary burden that the team in the past repeatedly wanted to get rid of, and has become a non-sale for the Warriors. Why would he say that Wiggins is a non-sale product of the Warriors? There are three main reasons.
score
Wiggins has always been a point-top striker, and for a team that has been without Klay Thompson for two full seasons in a row, his ability to stand up in the moments needed and create offensive opportunities on his own is essential.
Wiggins is the Warriors' second-leading scorer after Curry, and while his average of points per game isn't near the highest level of his career, he's much more efficient, which is exactly what the Warriors want to see, and the Warriors have won multiple championships precisely because of the core philosophy of quality over quantity.
Wiggins averaged 18.6 points per game last season and 18.4 points per game this season, and the stats may seem to have declined, but he has integrated his game into the Warriors' system, averaging 2.1 three-pointers per game and shooting 40.8 percent from three-point range, the highest level of his career. Partnering with Curry gave Wiggins a lot of empty shots, and Wiggins didn't let those points slip away.
defend
Wiggins was once considered a very laid-back player on the defensive end, and early in his career he was often named by the best offensive players of his opponents. But Wiggins is completely different now, and his presence allows Draymond Green to focus on no-ball defense and help defend other elite-level offensive players. At the same time, it can also take over the burden of defending the opponent's number one outside attacking player, protecting the backcourt combination of Curry and Jordan Poole.
The Warriors are in the league's top three defensively this season, and Wiggins' individual defensive rating has reached the highest level of his career. The average shooting percentage of the players against Wiggins is only 44.3 percent, and only 8 teams in the entire NBA have worse shooting statistics than that, which is a small proof of his defense this season.
efficiency
Wiggins has always been a great scorer in his career, he also did well in scoring when he played for the Timberwolves, and he also grew into a good defensive player, these are the two things that Warriors fans are most concerned about, but the biggest change that really makes him a non-selling product of the team is his efficiency.
Wiggins shot a career-high 49 percent from the field, his three-point shooting percentage was close to 41 percent, and for the first time in his career, he shot more than 40 percent from beyond the three-point line, and wiggins ranked 14th among players who averaged at least five three-pointers per game. Wiggins hit at least four three-pointers this season, the Warriors have a 3-0 unbeaten record, and it's clear that Wiggins' performance on the outside has been crucial for the Golden State Warriors this season and an important factor in the Warriors' return to the top of the offense this season, which is a key reason why he will be a non-sale for the Warriors in the coming months.