They announced the Santa Cruz G League schedule. First game on February 10th against the G-League Ignite team with possible future Warriors Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga.
Most of the complaining about Wiggins was due to the max contract. Even with his Warriors stats he probably isn't somebody that would obviously deserve the max. If you compare what he has done this year with say, Klay Thompson at age 25, Thompson is better at pretty much everything except blocking shots. Wiggins certainly isn't KD either, but the choice if they didn't end up with Wiggins was nothing while still being over the cap. And the Warriors got a 1st round pick out of it.
Is it repeatable? JaVale McGee and Marquese Chriss indicate 'yes.' Some of it comes from the right environment and coaching. Some of it comes from the right fit. Some of it seems kind of mysterious. Does it work every time? Of course not. But it's definitely repeatable.
I disagree with the headline. The Wolves wanted Wiggins to be a superstar. The Warriors want Wiggins to be a good player.
That said, I agree with the conclusion about Wiseman. People are excited for Wiseman's defense and shooting ability, and I agree those will make a huge difference. But what the Warriors can impart to him that he might not have gotten anywhere else is passing and hoops IQ. He's 19! He's currently a bad passer with a low hoops IQ. But he gets to see how players like Looney and Dray (who are basically all brain) screen, pass and facilitate. This is like Kareem and Walton going to UCLA and learning that system at 19. It doesn't mean he'll one day be Bill Walton or Jokic, but I expect over time he'll become a very good passing C. And those are hard to come by.
Nicely done Duby. Also note the uptick in assist % notwithstanding the decrease in counting stats. I think one other underrated improvement on the Dubs is a slight uptick of shots in the post. Wiggins is long and bouncy but too fast for slow wings. He can be very efficient in the post and we've started using him a bit more there when he has mismatches. That can get him to the line as well, and on balance give his efficiency a big boost. The TS will, to a certain extent, rise and fall on the 3 ball, but finding other avenues for him to produce will be key as well.
Got lost in the Warriors lineup stats on NBA.com. Never really look at stats. Prefer to watch games.
Wiggins with Wannamaker, Lee, Mulder, & Paschall was way better than the bench with Oubre. Wiggins is an all-round winning player right now.
If the coaches use stats they should only play Paschall at the 5 and some of Paschall’s backups minutes should go to Wiseman. Lee needs to be on the court more and Mulder + Lee should be on the court more with Wiseman and Paschall (separately of course.)
He definitely checks out from the eye test. Let's hope his advanced numbers improve so that we have more concrete evidence that it's not just a mirage.
Though I do think the biggest part of the improvement has just been looking at him from a different frame. Wolves fans (and most of the NBA) were anchored to see him with respect to the expectations of a #1 pick and a max contract. After all we'd heard (and seen his numbers) about Wiggins, we were conditioned to see him as a very negative player who doesn't exhibit effort and chucks up inefficient shot after inefficient shot. So when that didn't happen and Wiggins turned out to be at least competent, we were all delighted as we were judging him with respect to completely different expectations.
As with most things, the truth about Wiggins' true ability is probably in between.
Great article, D-cube. The main knock we heard about him (or atleast I read) was inconsistency. That is equally (if not more) valuable. May be that part of the improvement aka consistency has been all GSW culture. That wouldn't show up in season stats. Most likely plots of game numbers will show much more glitchy plots in previous seasons than now.
I think there were very different team expectations. Wolves wanted a #1 gun whereas dubs are very happy with his #2 production and would be ecstatic if Klay were around to complete the three headed scoring monster. As mentioned, Steph is the ultimate opportunity maker if you figure out how to fit the scheme.
My biggest criticism of Wiggs at the time of the Dlo trade was what I saw as an indifferent defender, and I'm very happy to be proven wrong on that count. The blocks are awesome to see but it's even more so the effort that Wiggs brings every night on the defensive end that has me excited for the team's potential when fully healthy. He has been solid on guards, wings, and bigs. His feet are quick enough to stay with speedy defenders and his upper body is strong enough to deter big guys trying to bully their way inside. Although his offense has been efficient and his shot selection seems much improved, I'm enjoying watching his defensive game the most.
Wiggins is one of the most durable players in the league, too. He missed one game in his first four years at Minnesota and hasn't missed any in his limited time with the Dubs.
Listening to Wiggins talk about the difference between playing for GS and Minnesota the other day, he made it very clear that the team and organization being organized for everything shapes the culture at GS. He said he got that for 2 years when Thibodeaux was the Twolves coach. Players like to feel comfortable, have a routine, feel like they are part of a whole. Didn't sound like that was the case when he got to Minnesota after being traded for Kevin Love or after Thibs departed.
The Warriors didn’t sign Wiggins, they traded for him.
I was down on the trade initially because of his history. I didn’t think he would get even marginally better. I was very wrong, as he’s becoming an elite two-way wing. I think he will take another step once Klay returns.
Let’s hope Russell plays so we can see the Steph vs Russell duel!
Wiggins seems to be doing great with his role. In admittedly limited viewing: His biggest issue always seemed to be that his instincts when the offense broke down were not very efficient, and the Wolves offense? Broke down quite a bit.
Wiseman has the desire, aggression, and tools to be great. He needs practice time to solidify the knowledge so he can operate successfully at game speed. Small bursts of game time surrounded by coaching and longer run when he’s rolling and in blowouts would be a great way to help him develop this season without creating undue stress that can sabotage a player and a team culture.
They announced the Santa Cruz G League schedule. First game on February 10th against the G-League Ignite team with possible future Warriors Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga.
Most of the complaining about Wiggins was due to the max contract. Even with his Warriors stats he probably isn't somebody that would obviously deserve the max. If you compare what he has done this year with say, Klay Thompson at age 25, Thompson is better at pretty much everything except blocking shots. Wiggins certainly isn't KD either, but the choice if they didn't end up with Wiggins was nothing while still being over the cap. And the Warriors got a 1st round pick out of it.
Is it repeatable? JaVale McGee and Marquese Chriss indicate 'yes.' Some of it comes from the right environment and coaching. Some of it comes from the right fit. Some of it seems kind of mysterious. Does it work every time? Of course not. But it's definitely repeatable.
I hope they don't pull any punches and blow out the Timberwolves tonight. They've got another game tomorrow, and it'll be against the Suns in Phoenix.
I disagree with the headline. The Wolves wanted Wiggins to be a superstar. The Warriors want Wiggins to be a good player.
That said, I agree with the conclusion about Wiseman. People are excited for Wiseman's defense and shooting ability, and I agree those will make a huge difference. But what the Warriors can impart to him that he might not have gotten anywhere else is passing and hoops IQ. He's 19! He's currently a bad passer with a low hoops IQ. But he gets to see how players like Looney and Dray (who are basically all brain) screen, pass and facilitate. This is like Kareem and Walton going to UCLA and learning that system at 19. It doesn't mean he'll one day be Bill Walton or Jokic, but I expect over time he'll become a very good passing C. And those are hard to come by.
Nicely done Duby. Also note the uptick in assist % notwithstanding the decrease in counting stats. I think one other underrated improvement on the Dubs is a slight uptick of shots in the post. Wiggins is long and bouncy but too fast for slow wings. He can be very efficient in the post and we've started using him a bit more there when he has mismatches. That can get him to the line as well, and on balance give his efficiency a big boost. The TS will, to a certain extent, rise and fall on the 3 ball, but finding other avenues for him to produce will be key as well.
Got lost in the Warriors lineup stats on NBA.com. Never really look at stats. Prefer to watch games.
Wiggins with Wannamaker, Lee, Mulder, & Paschall was way better than the bench with Oubre. Wiggins is an all-round winning player right now.
If the coaches use stats they should only play Paschall at the 5 and some of Paschall’s backups minutes should go to Wiseman. Lee needs to be on the court more and Mulder + Lee should be on the court more with Wiseman and Paschall (separately of course.)
He definitely checks out from the eye test. Let's hope his advanced numbers improve so that we have more concrete evidence that it's not just a mirage.
Though I do think the biggest part of the improvement has just been looking at him from a different frame. Wolves fans (and most of the NBA) were anchored to see him with respect to the expectations of a #1 pick and a max contract. After all we'd heard (and seen his numbers) about Wiggins, we were conditioned to see him as a very negative player who doesn't exhibit effort and chucks up inefficient shot after inefficient shot. So when that didn't happen and Wiggins turned out to be at least competent, we were all delighted as we were judging him with respect to completely different expectations.
As with most things, the truth about Wiggins' true ability is probably in between.
Great article, D-cube. The main knock we heard about him (or atleast I read) was inconsistency. That is equally (if not more) valuable. May be that part of the improvement aka consistency has been all GSW culture. That wouldn't show up in season stats. Most likely plots of game numbers will show much more glitchy plots in previous seasons than now.
I think there were very different team expectations. Wolves wanted a #1 gun whereas dubs are very happy with his #2 production and would be ecstatic if Klay were around to complete the three headed scoring monster. As mentioned, Steph is the ultimate opportunity maker if you figure out how to fit the scheme.
My biggest criticism of Wiggs at the time of the Dlo trade was what I saw as an indifferent defender, and I'm very happy to be proven wrong on that count. The blocks are awesome to see but it's even more so the effort that Wiggs brings every night on the defensive end that has me excited for the team's potential when fully healthy. He has been solid on guards, wings, and bigs. His feet are quick enough to stay with speedy defenders and his upper body is strong enough to deter big guys trying to bully their way inside. Although his offense has been efficient and his shot selection seems much improved, I'm enjoying watching his defensive game the most.
Wiggins is one of the most durable players in the league, too. He missed one game in his first four years at Minnesota and hasn't missed any in his limited time with the Dubs.
Listening to Wiggins talk about the difference between playing for GS and Minnesota the other day, he made it very clear that the team and organization being organized for everything shapes the culture at GS. He said he got that for 2 years when Thibodeaux was the Twolves coach. Players like to feel comfortable, have a routine, feel like they are part of a whole. Didn't sound like that was the case when he got to Minnesota after being traded for Kevin Love or after Thibs departed.
The Warriors didn’t sign Wiggins, they traded for him.
I was down on the trade initially because of his history. I didn’t think he would get even marginally better. I was very wrong, as he’s becoming an elite two-way wing. I think he will take another step once Klay returns.
Let’s hope Russell plays so we can see the Steph vs Russell duel!
Wiggins seems to be doing great with his role. In admittedly limited viewing: His biggest issue always seemed to be that his instincts when the offense broke down were not very efficient, and the Wolves offense? Broke down quite a bit.
Wiseman has the desire, aggression, and tools to be great. He needs practice time to solidify the knowledge so he can operate successfully at game speed. Small bursts of game time surrounded by coaching and longer run when he’s rolling and in blowouts would be a great way to help him develop this season without creating undue stress that can sabotage a player and a team culture.