Andrew Wiggins took his game to new levels in the playoffs, cementing himself as one of basketball's preeminent stoppers and suddenly emerging as a game-changing force on the glass. The best basketball of his career helped propel the Golden State Warriors to another championship, their fourth in eight seasons, and served as a forceful rebuke of the critics Wiggins has faced ever since being the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NBA draft.

Still basking in the championship afterglow, the notoriously nonchalant, mild-mannered Wiggins is reveling in proving so many doubters wrong.

“When they talk it’s all motivation,” he told Kameron Hay of Complex. “When I first got here, everyone had something to say, now everyone is quiet. That’s the best feeling, when people doubt you, and people sleep on you, and don’t think that you can do something that you know you can do, that you’ve been doing your whole life. It’s good to just make those guys kick rocks.”

A prodigy since grade school, Wiggins won Rookie of the Year and became one of most prolific young scorers in league history with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who responded by signing him to a maximum five-year extension in the summer of 2017. Minnesota's prior and subsequent lack of lasting team success never aligned with Wiggins' production as a scorer, though, leading many to conclude early in his career that he didn't affect winning at a high level.

Article Continues Below
More Warriors News
Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga (00) dribbles upcourt against the San Antonio Spurs in the second period at Chase Center.
Warriors rumors: Jonathan Kuminga free agency hit with harsh reality from InsiderJulian Ojeda ·
LeBron James, Stephen (Steph) Curry, who may be heading to an ESPN NBA broadcasting booth after they retire, after Lakers-Warriors game on December 25, 2024.
ESPN has ‘hopeful’ LeBron James, Stephen Curry wishAndrew Korpan ·
Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles past Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) in the third quarter at the Chase Center with Richard Jefferson in the background
Richard Jefferson drops Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over Stephen Curry takeJosue Pavon ·
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) moves the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena.
Warriors’ Draymond Green disagrees with LeBron James’ radical playoff ideaMalik Brown ·
Houston Cougars guard LJ Cryer (4) during team introductions before the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena.
Warriors work out champion who shot 41.3 percent from 3-point landDavid Yapkowitz ·
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) meet after the game at the Chase Center.
Why Warriors’ Brandin Podziemski doesn’t want a Giannis Antetokoumpo tradeZachary Howell ·

That reputation—unfair or otherwise—followed him to The Bay, proving crucial in a trade with the Wolves that also netted Golden State the lottery pick that became Jonathan Kuminga. Needless to say, no one is decrying the terms of that trade, Wiggins' fit with the Warriors nor his ability to thrive in the team construct now.

Title banners hang forever and championship rings never lose their luster. Wiggins will never be the all-timer high school mixtapes and recruiting rankings suggested, but he's one of the best non-star players in the league, a high-level two-way wing any team would love to have.

And he seems hellbent on proving it all over again with the Warriors next season.

[Kameron Hay, Complex]