Around the NBA 2022 Playoffs: The Thread

[Rastapopoulos]

It is to laugh:

 

[Mediocre Man]

It is to laugh:

This makes me happy

 

[STOMP]

lil of both. this has now become a talking point among the NBA media folk last few days. Who is the next Wiggins, and can our team rescue him with a change of scenery?

Apparent criteria for said target:
- strong foundational talent who is miscast as a #1.
- coachable, desire to improve.
- willingness to listen. Recall his anti-vax stance to start the year. But he listened to his teammates who convinced him to change his mind for the team.
- strong skills at least on one end of the floor. Wiggins was always a strong defender. His offensive inefficiency was more the problem in Minny.
- zero injury history.
- Overpaid with dwindling trade value.

Not sure where you're pulling that from. His D in Minnesota was not viewed as a positive. Below is only one of many articles I could link expressing the big steps forward on D Wiggins has taken since the trade.

Wiggins was considerably better on offense than defense through his first few NBA seasons, and the one thing people were most concerned about — the ability to create his own shot — was arguably his only high-level skill. Wiggins was an extremely poor rebounder for his size and position, he rarely created opportunities for his teammates, he did not shoot efficiently from anywhere other than the immediate area around the rim, and he was routinely criticized for poor effort.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/andrew-wiggins-isnt-an-albatross-anymore/

STOMP

 

[SlyPokerCat]

I know it's a team game, and I'm admittedly a duck hater, but look at GPII getting a ring before that Pritchard guy! It almost makes it okay for me that the fucking warriors won. Ugh, I'm conflicted.

Go Beavs!

And we could have kept him when he played for us in the preseason. He has always been the perfect backup pg for Dame.

 

[illmatic99]

Not sure where you're pulling that from. His D in Minnesota was not viewed as a positive. Below is only one of many articles I could link expressing the big steps forward on D Wiggins has taken since the trade.

Wiggins was considerably better on offense than defense through his first few NBA seasons, and the one thing people were most concerned about — the ability to create his own shot — was arguably his only high-level skill. Wiggins was an extremely poor rebounder for his size and position, he rarely created opportunities for his teammates, he did not shoot efficiently from anywhere other than the immediate area around the rim, and he was routinely criticized for poor effort.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/andrew-wiggins-isnt-an-albatross-anymore/

STOMP

You're missing the point. Which is fine, because all you seem to care about is nitpicking the hell out of my posts while ignoring context. Wiggins' strengths coming of Kansas were all about defense. That it didn't manifest in Minny is proving exactly what i'm trying to say. I'm trying to draw parallels to guys who have the foundational ability but did not meet expectations initially, but found a better footing after change of scenery.

If you're trying to say he wasn't one of the strongest defenders coming into the 2014 draft, you're straight up spreading a wealth of misinformation.


Wiggins is very much an unrefined offensive player, but still scored a solid 21 points per-40 minutes as a freshman, even if his usage rate and efficiency were average. He's for the most part a straight-line ball-handler, as the ball slows him down and doesn't do a great job changing speeds or directions, particularly with his off hand, but is capable of getting inside the paint effectively regardless thanks to his exceptionally quick first step. -

Defensively, Wiggins is already extremely effective. His combination of size, length, lateral quickness and solid intensity gives him the potential to develop into a multi-positional lockdown perimeter defender in the NBA, particularly as he matures and gets stronger. -

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/andrew-wiggins-6191/


Strengths: Off the charts run/jump athleticism … Lateral quickness and length also gives him great potential as a perimeter defender, along with versatility to guard both wing positions efficiently … Incredibly dangerous in transition opportunities, long strider with a quick first step, did a great job of scoring or getting fouled when getting out in transition

https://www.nbadraft.net/players/andrew-wiggins/

Don't forget about his defensive potential. With his quickness, 7'0" wingspan and positional versatility, he could be the absolute best defender in this draft. He could dominate the game on both ends of the floor, whereas Parker doesn't project to stand out defensively.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...andrew-wiggins-as-no-1-pick-in-2014-nba-draft

 

[Hoopguru]

Kenny Smith said Wiggins would be an all state at golden state. He doesnt have to be the #1 on offense so he can other aspects of his game which includes defense.

 

[MickZagger]

Not sure where you're pulling that from. His D in Minnesota was not viewed as a positive. Below is only one of many articles I could link expressing the big steps forward on D Wiggins has taken since the trade.

Wiggins was considerably better on offense than defense through his first few NBA seasons, and the one thing people were most concerned about — the ability to create his own shot — was arguably his only high-level skill. Wiggins was an extremely poor rebounder for his size and position, he rarely created opportunities for his teammates, he did not shoot efficiently from anywhere other than the immediate area around the rim, and he was routinely criticized for poor effort.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/andrew-wiggins-isnt-an-albatross-anymore/

STOMP

Yeah Wiggins didn’t play much D in Minny. He really honed in while with GS. Guys like Draymond hood teammates accountable. Defense is just as much as a culture thing as anything else. Wiggins had all the intangibles.

 

[STOMP]

You're missing the point. Which is fine, because blah blah blah

Read your post, the one I responded to. You said he was always a strong defender while at Minnesota, which he wasn’t according to Wolves fans and media and analytics. My short response was about how he actually did in the NBA not what he was projected to do years before as a prospect. Good grief dude, take a breath

STOMP

 

[handiman]

I've wondered why Wendell Moore is looking like only a low- to mid-2nd round pick, as I like him more than top-10 teammate AJ Griffin, and he fits that strategy perfectly.

NBADraft.net's updated mock today has Griffin down to 10 and Moore up to 29.

They also have Sochan up to 9 and Duren down to 16. That seems reasonable for Sochan, but if some team gets Duren in the middle of the round, they're gonna be ecstatic at their luck.