New Golden State Warriors recruit Andrew Wiggins made his debut for the Dubs on Saturday, following his deadline-day move from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
It was a tough test for Wiggins and company, as they had to face the best team in the Western Conference in the Los Angeles Lakers. L.A. were obviously the heavy favorites to emerge as the victors in this matchup, but to the surprise of many, Golden State actually put up quite a fight. It was thanks in large part to an outstanding debut performance from Wiggins.
Wiggins signed with the Warriors just a couple of days ago, following a blockbuster trade that saw D'Angelo Russell going in the other direction. Along with Wiggins, the Wolves also gave up a 2021 first-round pick and a 2022 second-round pick to the Warriors, who in exchange, included Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman in the trade package along with Russell.
For the Wolves, this deal marked a new era in their franchise, as they finally broke off the core they had remained faithful to over the past few seasons. As for the Warriors, one of the most immediate concerns was the acquisition of Wiggins' enormous max contract, with the 24-year-old still owed $93.8 million over the next three seasons.
For his part, however, Wiggins quickly appeased his doubters by logging an impressive 24 points (on 8-of-12 from the field, 5-of-9 form the charity stripe), three 3-pointers, two rebounds, three assists, five steals, and a block in his first game in a Warriors uniform. More importantly, he helped the Dubs mount a formidable challenge against a dominant Lakers side, with the hard-fought contest ending with a final scoreline of 125-120 in favor of L.A.
Looking at the big picture, it's really hard to tell from this single performance alone if the Warriors made the right move in bringing in Wiggins. It's simply too early to tell at this point. There's also a matter of half the squad currently on the sidelines due to various injuries, and we won't know until next season how Wiggins will fit in with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
It was, however, a pretty impressive debut performance from Wiggins nonetheless. He was able to show that he is still very much capable of putting up some big numbers, regardless of which team he's playing for. All in all, it would be safe to say that the Warriors could have asked very little more from Wiggins in his first game for the team.
Overall grade: A-
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