The Golden State Warriors came ever-so-close to defeating LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the play-in game on Wednesday night. It took an improbably LeBron three-pointer to lift the Lakers over the Warriors. However, one bright spot was the impressive play of Andrew Wiggins, who was given the tough task of guarding LeBron for the majority of the contest.
After the game, Wiggins spoke on how it was guarding LeBron James.
“My mindset was to go out there — pick him up full court — just try to make him uncomfortable,” the forward told the media. “He's one of the all-time greats. So I just tried to make it tough on him. That's the main thing. Be aggressive, just try to make it hard on him,” Wiggins said, according to Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Well, it worked. Wiggins visibly frustrated LeBron throughout the game. He started it off with an impressive block of The King early in the first quarter as the Warriors set the tone right out of the gate.
Article Continues BelowAndrew Wiggins with the clamps pic.twitter.com/0UtkLaqYok
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 20, 2021
Wiggins limited LeBron as he shot just 2-10 when guarded by Wiggins, with both of the made field goals tough jump shots with Wiggins in his grill. He didn't back down, yet he embraced the challenge of guarding one of the best players to ever step on the basketball court.
Despite the tough Warriors' loss, Wiggins continues to have a revelation of a season in the Bay Area. In his first full season as a Warrior, he is averaging 18.6 points with 4.9 rebounds and a career-high 38 percent clip from beyond the arc.
All in all, if the Dubs want to get past the Memphis Grizzlies and snag the 8-seed in the Western Conference, they will need a similar performance from Wiggins. If not, their season could very well end on Friday night.