There have been some reports that Andrew Wiggins' lack of heart was one of the main reasons why Jimmy Butler requested a trade away from the Minnesota Timberwolves. A new advanced statistic has recently been unearthed that appears to support this theory about the young Wolves forward.
Zach Lowe of ESPN pointed out a very specific piece of statistical information pertaining to Wiggins' lack of sprinting or fast running during ballgames.
Motion-tracking cameras recorded Wiggins “running fast” during only 4.8 percent of his time on the floor, one of the 10 lowest such figures in the league, per Second Spectrum. (Almost everyone in his slowpoke vicinity is a plodding 7-footer.) He has shown no aptitude on pull-up 3s, or on any sort of 3-pointer outside the corners — and he doesn’t shoot enough from the corners. Nobody guards him away from the ball.
The message Lowe is trying to send here is that Wiggins' style of play appears to be too laid back. He very seldomly sprints while on the playing court (roughly just 1.7 minutes out of his career average of 36.2 mpg), which may be interpreted as a lack of fervor or hunger to win.
Some might argue that we're jumping to conclusions here by misinterpreting nothing more than an unconventional approach to the game. However, given that he ranks at the lowest 10 percent of the league — along with 7-footers — makes this fact rather appalling.
At just 23 years of age, Wiggins still has more than enough time to make the necessary improvements in his game. However, while most of the technical aspects of basketball can be learned, instilling passion and heart is something that is much more complicated.
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