The 2021-22 season has been the highlight of Andrew Wiggins' career. The Golden State Warriors forward made his first All-Star game, has continued to increase his perimeter shooting and, most importantly, has been a key reason for Golden State making it back to the NBA Finals. He continues to step up on the biggest stage against the Boston Celtics.
Wiggins is the third-leading scorer for the Warriors in the Finals and is tasked with a lot of defensive responsibility as the primary defender for Jayson Tatum. Golden State had to work with him on that side of the ball when they acquired him in February of 2020. The work has paid off big-time.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is impressed with how Wiggins is playing in the NBA Finals so far, though he is not surprised. He said that the biggest key to Wiggins' success is his two-way dominance. Few players on the team can contribute as well as he can on both ends of the court.
Kerr on Wiggins showing more emotion: "He's a very mild-mannered guy, but he's taken a leap in these playoffs in terms of his impact on the game defensively." Kerr notes Wiggs' 16 rebs in game four. "The biggest thing is he's a two-way player."
— Kerith Burke (@KerithBurke) June 12, 2022
Wiggins' career-high 16 rebounds from Game 4 show how much his game has developed since being traded to the Warriors. His defense against Luka Doncic in the Western Conference Finals gave Golden State a massive boost. Few other players have the length and focus to match up with him. He still dominated but Wiggins made him work harder for his numbers. Tatum is having a much harder time on Wiggins than he has had against previous defenders.
Following years of being called a bust, Wiggins is now looking like anything but that. The change of scenery that the Warriors afforded him has brought out his true talents. He is two wins away from being a leading player on a championship team.
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