Is Andrew Wiggins, Former #1 Draft Pick, A NBA Bust?

Storyline: Is Andrew Wiggins a bust? Absolutely not–at least not yet. But if his flaws aren’t addressed soon, he’ll go down as an underwhelming #1 NBA draft pick. Written by Cyril Girgis, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Tom Thibodeau (photo, Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports)

When the Minnesota Timberwolves hired Tom Thibodeau to be the head coach and president of basketball operations, it seemed like this would be the year the team would end its 12-year playoff drought. The team already has a superb, young core, including the last two Rookie of the Year winners, Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, and explosive, two-time NBA Dunk champion, Zach Lavine. Thibodeau was going to be the missing piece of the puzzle.

But Minnesota fans are getting disappointment instead. The Timberwolves are 13-26 (1/12/17), 20 games out of first place in the NBA’s Western Conference. A big reason is team defense: Minnesota is rated 24th defensively (NBA.com).

Andrew Wiggins’ play is particularly disappointing. Yes, he has a gaudy scoring average (22 ppg), but a deeper look reveals that this former #1 pick is falling short of expectations. Just look at his other numbers.

Courtesy: USA Today

Wiggins has a mediocre 15.53 Player Efficiency Rating (PER), which is slightly above the League’s average. And when you compare Wiggins’ PER to other #1 picks playing in their third season, you’ll see that he lags behind every other player–with the exception of Anthony Bennett, the Cavs’ former #1 pick, who turned out to be a NBA bust.

While Wiggins has shown improvement in the scoring department, the same can’t be said about his playmaking ability. He’s currently averaging a lowly 2.3 assist per game, which ranks 97th in the NBA, including a disturbing 1.00 assist-to-turnover ratio.

With the ability to command double-teams and make the defense collapse in the paint with drives, you’d think that Wiggins’ assist numbers would be much higher. But they aren’t, which has been a problem throughout his career: Wiggins’ NBA assist-to-turnover ratio has never been above 1.00.

But poor numbers on offense pale in comparison to Wiggins’ lack of defensive productivity. At 6’8, a 7’0 wingspan, and quickness, Wiggins has the potential to be a defensive stopper. And he has flashed that potential at times against the likes of James Harden and Jimmy Butler. Overall, through, he has been a defensive disaster.

Wiggin’s defensive Real Plus-Minus of -2.13 ranks 367th among NBA players. And, unbelievably, the Timberwolves do better defensively when Wiggins is on the bench (109.3 defensive rating when he’s on the floor, 103.2 when he’s on the bench, source: NBA.com). And other defensive data aren’t better. Wiggins is averaging just 0.8 spg and 0.4 bpg. C’mon!

Courtesy – Fox Sports

If you watch Minnesota play, you’ll see Wiggins miss defensive rotations. You’ll watch his man cut for an open dunk. Granted, young players tend to struggle defensively in the NBA, but a player like Wiggins–with all his athletic tools–should not be among contenders for worst defensive wing in the League.

Is Andrew Wiggins a bust? Absolutely not — at least not yet. While he’s clearly a flawed player, he’s very young (only 21) and possesses the athletic potential to become a great player.

He has shown some areas of improvement. Consider his renewed 3-point accuracy: 30% last year to 36% so far this year. That’s shows promise. However, there are glaring flaws that Wiggins must address. If he doesn’t, then Andrew Wiggins will be one of the most underwhelming #1 picks of recent years.