Andrew Wiggins was recently selected for his first All-Star game. There’s no doubt that the Golden State Warriors has been quietly having a productive season, averaging 18.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 2.1 APG, while playing some phenomenal perimeter defense.
It is clear that getting his first All-Star appearance has motivated Andrew Wiggins. Steve Kerr has recently revealed that “being named a starter has infused him with more confidence”, and lauded Wiggins for “playing lights out” at this time. Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports relayed the news.
“Yeah, he just won’t shut up about how good he is,” Steve Kerr joked when he was asked (jokingly) if the forward has become harder to coach now that he’s an All-Star.
“Andrew is just the most humble, modest guy,” Kerr added. “I do think though that being named a starter has infused him with more confidence than ever. He’s looked so good since a week ago when he was named All-Star. He’s shooting the lights out, he’s playing with such ease and confidence and it’s great to see. He’s put all the work in, he’s dealt with a lot of stuff over the years, a lot of stress, people calling him a ‘bust’ and all that stuff. He’s just put his head down and worked and he’s earned this. He’s just playing lights out right now.”
“I think it’s just the smoothness in his game, there’s no indecision. When he’s open he’s just rising up and shooting it, no hesitation. He’s aggressive defensively. He’s just got a very quiet confidence about him and it’s been fun to see it blossom here over the last week.”
There is no question that Andrew Wiggins being named All-Star starter was controversial. Some even pointed out that Russell Westbrook is averaging better numbers than Andrew Wiggins despite his season being considered terrible. However, Andrew Wiggins is the No. 2 option on the 2nd best team in the Western Conference and he is clearly a player that impacts winning.
Hopefully, we see Andrew Wiggins continue to play well moving forward. The biggest criticism analysts had towards him for a large portion of his career has been inconsistency: he has disproven those concerns during his time in Golden State, and perhaps we’ll see Andrew Wiggins continue to be that efficient No. 2 scorer he has been this season for the Warriors.
