They weren’t teammates for long, but it didn’t take Damion Lee much time at all to be impressed by Andrew Wiggins’ desire to become a top-tier NBA player.
When the Warriors acquired Andrew Wiggins at the NBA trade deadline in February, it was not a decision that universally was applauded.
There still are people who disagree with Golden State's decision to acquire the No. 1 overall pick from the 2014 NBA Draft. But even those who are skeptical about Wiggins' future would admit that he played well in a Dubs uniform this season.
"I wasn't surprised at all about what we saw because I've coached against him," Steve Kerr said Wednesday on "The Bill Simmons Podcast." "The biggest thing for us was all about what you need today to win games. The game has changed so much and it's so hard to guard ... you gotta have size and versatility on the wings.
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"Multiple-positional defenders who can guard their position, but also guard two or three other positions. Andrew has the size and athleticism to do exactly that. He was an excellent defender for us, and played really well offensively.
"He may not be an MVP candidate, but he's a damn good player. He fits right in with what we're trying to do."
Wiggins averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists over 12 games with Golden State, while shooting nearly 46 percent overall and 34 percent from deep.
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Additionally, his 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game both would be career highs over a full season.
With Steph Curry and Klay Thompson as teammates, Wiggins won't feel consistent heat to deliver big scoring outputs. Will there be times when the Warriors need him to step up and take over offensively? Yes.
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But overall, he's going to have the luxury of being able to take on a more comfortable role that suits his game.
"He just wants to play basketball and have fun, and have no pressure on him," former Warriors point guard Tim Hardaway said in June. "This is the team to be on to do that, and he's going to excel.
"He's going to be all right."