With Draymond Green focusing on the defensive end and Steph Curry lighting it up, Andrew Wiggins provided a spark on both ends of the floor to help the Warriors stay close in their 103-100 play-in tournament loss to L.A.
Andrew Wiggins played the best defense of his career this season.
So it's safe to assume he exceeded the Warriors' expectations on that end of the floor?
Well, not exactly.
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"I don't think he exceeded our expectations because we saw what he could do the last [12] games of last season when we traded for him and he played really solid defense," Steve Kerr said Tuesday on 95.7 The Game's "Damon, Ratto & Kolsky" show. "And so when we went into the offseason, that was our whole focus and that's all we talked to him about.
"'You're gonna guard LeBron [James], you're gonna guard Kawhi [Leonard], you're gonna guard Luka [Doncic]. We don't have other guys on the roster who can do that so that's your job. Here's what you need to do to do that and we're gonna stay on you.' That plan was executed. Andrew embraced it and really did a good job with it. Not many other guys could have done [it].
"But it was great to see him do it so consistently over the course of the year."
Wiggins is not going to make an All-Defense team this season because he needs to show voters this year wasn't a fluke.
But he definitely is going to get some votes, and could be a legit contender next season if he shows even more growth.
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"The great thing with Andrew is he still has room for improvement, and that's what we talked about in his exit meeting," Kerr said. "There still are things he can get better with and more consistent with.
"And he's so coachable and agreeable that he said, 'Yeah, you're right. Let's do it.' "
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