While he has barely scratched the surface in a Miami Heat uniform, forward Andrew Wiggins made his debut with the team this week.
The headliner of the Jimmy Butler trade appeared in two games against Boston and Oklahoma City, two of the league’s top defenses. And while he didn’t play very well. former teammate Draymond Green believes Wiggins’ future in Miami is bright.
“With [Andrew Wiggins], obviously, it’s been six years where we’ve been playing together,” Green said on the latest episode of his podcast, The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis. “Watching his growth from coming to a place where everyone’s saying, ‘Yo, this dude’s a bust, he’s never going to be it,’ to earning the name ‘Two-Way Wiggs’ and helping lead us to another championship. Collecting his first NBA ring.
“To go through that with someone, there’s an obvious relationship. Now, I rock with Wiggs on a different level. In Toronto every summer, kicking it with him. Been through some real stuff with Wiggs. Living a couple years and him dealing with his father being sick and being away from the team and keeping that low. We’ve been through some real stuff. He’s had two kids since I met him. He’s become a brother. To see him go, it sucked.
“He’s a champion. I think he’s going to go to Miami and have great years and guess what? Don’t be surprised if Wiggs is an All-Star again next year.”
Wiggins, 29, is averaging 17.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 30.2 minutes, shooting 43.8 percent from the floor, 35.8 percent from 3-point range and 75.1 percent from the free-throw line.
Given how stout Oklahoma City and Boston are defensively–especially against Wiggins–I’m not worried about his long-term prospects in Miami.
From a human aspect, it’s never easy getting traded and having to acclimate yourself in a completely new environment across the country. That’s what Wiggins had to do for the second time in his career after spending five-and-a-half years in San Francisco, Calif.
I was very high on Wiggins’ addition to the Heat before it was made; I feel the same way. It’s way too early to make any firm conclusions on any player involved in the deal, but he didn’t let his offense affect his defense in his two games. He still held his own individually and was fairly active on the glass. He also had a mixed bag of results in the mid-post, where I expect him to get steady usage as the season goes on.
Wiggins knows how to excel in his role; I expect him to look more acclimated for the final 29 games and beyond. He’s a quiet competitor, and there’s an adjustment period for everyone.
Now, saying there could be an All-Star in Andrew Wiggins’ future is definitely something. It would be very cool if that was the case, but that’s much easier said than done.
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Take your ass back to the warriors please
He didn’t ask to be traded here. The Butler did it.