Perimeter shooting wasn’t Wiggins’ strength at lower levels, but it’s become one for him in the NBA.
With a 63-33 third-quarter lead against the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 18, Minnesota Timberwolves small forward Andrew Wiggins ran up the court, received a pass from point guard Ricky Rubio, and drained a three-point shot. He finished the game with 35 points.
We knew Wiggins could score, but that three-point shot is becoming a more common way by which he does it. Even though the T-Wolves are 4-7, Wiggins has been shouldering most of the scoring load with ease, thanks in large part to expanding his game.
The third-year forward out of Kansas is averaging 27.4 points per game this season. Coming out of college, he was known for his athleticism and ability to drive to the basket. However, he had problems scoring on the perimeter, especially from beyond the arc.
In his only season at Kansas, he shot 34 percent from beyond the arc. Even in his first two NBA seasons, Wiggins struggled from three, shooting just 31 percent and 30 percent, respectively, in his first two professional seasons.
But in the final two months of last season, Wiggins shot nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc. And this year, he’s carried that momentum over.
Here’s Wiggins beating the buzzer at the end of the first half of Thursday night’s game with a three-pointer.
Wiggins has nailed 23 of his 44 three-point attempts this season, good for a 52 percent clip. His proficiency from three-point land has surged, and it has played a significant role in improving his offensive stats. His new career-highs in points per game and three-point shooting percentage demonstrate his ascendance into the elite tier of NBA players.
Over the summer, Wiggins made improvements on his jump shot and working from the post.
His three-point shooting is breathing new space into Minnesota’s attack. Now that Wiggins has a reliable jump shot, he won’t have to drive or sit in the paint to score points. That gives Karl-Anthony Towns more room to operate in the post. When Towns attracts double-teams, Towns can easily pass the ball out to Wiggins or Zach LaVine (shooting 43 percent from three) to knock down shots.
This will take Wiggins’ own game to another level as well. He’s not just an athletic forward who can defend. If his jump shot is this good, how will teams stop him? If defenders back off him, he’ll knock down the jump shot. But if they decide to play him closely, he will use his athleticism to run past them and get to the hoop.
Wiggins can be a lethal offensive star in the NBA. He has the athleticism to get to the hoop, and his size will also help him get off shots over smaller defenders. He is only 21 years old, but is on track to be one of the best offensive players in the NBA.
Like his vertical jump, Wiggins’ ceiling in the NBA is high. And now, it’s even higher thanks to his blossoming jumper.