Andrew Wiggins made his first All-Star team this year, after years of being written off by the general public. There’s no doubt that this is an amazing comeback for him, and the Golden State Warriors have needed every bit of his two-way play in their bid for the NBA title.
The Golden State Warriors won Game 4 behind Stephen Curry’s 43 points, but Andrew Wiggins was crucial for the team as well. He put up 17 points and 16 rebounds in the game, and the Warriors wouldn’t have won without his performance. He has definitely elevated his rebounding to new heights in the playoffs and is averaging 8.5 RPG in the Finals.
When speaking to Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Andrew Wiggins explained how he has managed to improve his rebounding, claiming that he simply wants “to win”, and adding that he knows “rebounding is a big part of that”.
For his entire career, Wiggins has averaged only 4.4 rebounds per game. He’s never averaged more than 5.2 in any of his eight regular seasons. It’s been part of the constant criticism about his game, that inability to translate his size, length and athleticism into a force on the game’s margins.
But that narrative has shifted in these playoffs as the Warriors have downsized, trusting Wiggins as a small-ball power forward. He has rewarded them with 7.3 rebounds per game. What has changed?
“I want to win,” Wiggins said. “I know rebounding is a big part of that. I just want to win.”
Hopefully, Andrew Wiggins is able to continue his rebounding, and the Golden State Warriors will definitely need it, as the Boston Celtics are a more athletic and bigger team as a whole.
Steve Kerr has previously admitted that the Andrew Wiggins trade was key to the Warriors being able to get back to the Finals. Perhaps we’ll see them win it all, and if that happens, Andrew Wiggins will definitely deserve a lot of the praise alongside Stephen Curry.
