Andrew Wiggins has risen to the occasion on the NBA’s brightest stage, effectively constructing his own narrative after years of listening to everyone else decide who he is as a player.
With back-to-back double-doubles in Games 4 and 5 of the NBA Finals, two-way Wiggins is holding his own alongside Golden State superstars like Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Steph Curry -- and making a devastating impact against a lethal Boston Celtics team.
Wiggins’ playoff excellence comes in just his second trip to the postseason since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2014. After years as a league afterthought on the Minnesota Timberwolves, the 27-year-old has fit right in with the Warriors after arriving in the Bay as a key trade acquisition in Feb. 2020.
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And in Curry’s eyes, Wiggins' ever-evolving intensity and ability to provide a spark for Golden State has culminated into the player Dub Nation -- and the rest of the country -- sees on the playoff court.
It’s also the player the Warriors always knew he could be.
“It’s amazing what you do with opportunity,” Curry told reporters on Wednesday when asked about Wiggins’ postseason emergence. “Take away the comparisons, the narratives around him as a No. 1 pick, what everybody wanted him to be, his first six years in the league looked like.
“There’s a reason we wanted him here. There’s a reason that trade made sense for us. There was a high hope that he would be able to figure it out at this level in terms of taking his scoring ability, his athleticism, his defensive potential, just taking it to another notch.”
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From his vital semifinal transformation into a malicious bully against the Memphis Grizzlies to posterizing Luka Dončić in the Western Conference finals, the playoffs have been full of viral Wiggins moments capped by his domination of the Celtics in the Finals so far.
And on a team where every player on the roster has an important role, Wiggins’ ability to excel in the paint and in open space allows him to fit right in with a lineup full of winners.
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“It's important what everybody gives us … You need Wiggs to shine when he's attacking the basket or when he's taking a one-on-one matchup with space to be able to get a good look and keep the flow and the momentum our way,” Curry said. “There's a reason he fits well with what we do, and has a specific way of impacting the game for us on both ends of the floor, but obviously offensively as well.”
With the Warriors one win away from their fourth NBA title in eight seasons, Curry has enjoyed watching Wiggins thrive.
“... This year, he's an All-Star starter. He's shining on the brightest of stages in the playoffs,” Curry said Wednesday. “You can tell how much he's enjoying it. It's just amazing to see things working out in his favor in terms of kind of dispelling all the narratives around him and who he is as a basketball player right in front of your eyes.”