X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

NBA Player Analysis: What's Up With Andrew Wiggins?

RotoBaller is starting up a new series taking a close look at selected universally-owned star players. NBA writer Nate Derosena will take a fresh look at players that have fantasy basketball owners wondering -- what's up? Where's the big jump in stats you were expecting? Where were the big numbers he was producing in the past? Or alternately, can his current production be sustained? Starting off the series is a young player who was drafted extremely high in most fantasy leagues in anticipation of a leap in production that hasn't yet happened.

 

NBA Player Analysis: What's Up With Andrew Wiggins?

Andrew Wiggins, the second year guard out of Kansas, has been continuing to find himself and develop his game as the season has progressed. Though his free throw and three point shooting percentages are both down from his rookie year (from .760 and .310 down to .740 and .248, respectively), Wiggins is amping up the volume of his scoring. Wiggins recently had a team high 31 points in a win against the Los Angeles Clippers, ending the NBA’s current active streak for most consecutive wins for a team against a single franchise. He is clearly a cornerstone of the young Timberwolves franchise, and when he is on top of his game, the Wolves are capable of beating very good teams.

Even Kobe Bryant had praise for Wiggins after their recent matchup. “He’s improved a lot from the first time I played him,” Bryant said in a postgame interview. “He hid the ball very well, he spaced very well, you know it’s textbook and it’s a pleasure for me to see that.”

Wiggins’ three point shooting percentage has seen improvement over a recent small sample, with him shooting .400 in February, well above his season average. Hopefully this means the extended cold streak of the past two months where he shot .194 from three in December and January is over. With his skillset, there's no reason why he shouldn't be able to hit a respectable amount of his threes. The rest of the young, talented Timberwolves roster is also growing as the season moves along, which will only make things easier for Wiggins.

While the veteran presences of Kevin Garnett and Tayshaun Prince help keep the young guard on the right path, it has helped Wiggins in actual recent game play that the Wolves have been giving more minutes around Wiggins to younger, more dynamic players who draw more defensive attention away from Wiggins, like Gorgui Dieng and Zach LaVine, who have both been on fire in recent weeks.

Aside from the shooting, Wiggins is also posting numbers that are down from last year in rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. This could be coming from many factors, but most prominently in the form of teammates this season who are better at getting those type of stats. A healthier Ricky Rubio means less reliance on the roster as a whole for assists. The addition of number one overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns under the rim means less rebounds and blocks to go around.

Switching Wiggins from playing a lot of small forward to almost exclusively playing shooting guard for much of the first half of the year could also be a factor. As a shooting guard, he has been taking more aggressive shots, affecting his efficiency. Wiggins played and started in all 82 games last season for Minnesota, attempting 126 three point shots in his rookie year. 52 games into the 2015-16 season, he has already attempted 125 three point shots, making eight less than he did last season (39 last season compared to 31 this season). He has also attempted 384 field goals so far this season, compared to 497 field goals all of last season.

The spacing around Wiggins when he plays the 2 could also affect his efficiency -- playing Wiggins alongside Tayshaun Prince or Shabazz Muhammad on the wing clogs up the lanes and allows more help defense on Wiggins than playing him alongside a rangier SG like Zach LaVine or the injured Kevin Martin. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the recent uptick in three point percentage for Wiggins has come at the same time as an increase in playing time for Zach LaVine on the wing alongside him.

Wiggins is still very young, so he has plenty of time to develop his game. Though not one of the Timberwolves main ball handlers, he is on the rise to becoming one of the team’s main options on offense. Once Wiggins finds a rhythm, he cannot be stopped. He is also improving on his aggressiveness when attacking the basket. Though he has gone through somewhat of a minor sophomore slump, he isn't likely to be nearly as bad from long range going forward. As he gains confidence in his shot and comfort with his scoring game, some of the other fantasy stats could start coming along with it -- perhaps he'll spend more time working on his defensive game and we'll see an increase in steals, for example.

Wiggins has the talent to be one of the NBA’s elite down the road. This season has surely been frustrating for fantasy owners who over-drafted him expecting him to take the leap. It is best to remain patient, though. He still only 20 years old (his 21st birthday is February 23). Don't expect him to turn into Kevin Durant or Kawhi Leonard overnight. He remains a top-tier dynasty value. As for seasonal leagues, don't expect early round value from him, but he might be a buy low at this point if his owner has become too disillusioned with his poor shooting in December and January.

 

NBA & Fantasy Basketball Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-11" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]

POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Kyle Schwarber

has Historic Performance in Rout of Braves
Boston Red Sox

Payton Tolle Expected to Make Debut on Friday
Green Bay Packers

Packers Acquire Micah Parsons, Sign him to Four-Year Extension
Jauan Jennings

Remains Sidelined at Practice
Corey Seager

Undergoing Appendectomy on Thursday
Chris Godwin

to Miss First Month of Season, Possibly More
Quinshon Judkins

Not Considering Return to College
A.J. Brown

Returns to Practice, Expected to Play in Week 1
Jaylen Wright

Undergoes Surgery, Could be Back "Septemberish"
Tyreek Hill

on Track to Play in Week 1
Kyren Williams

to See Reduced Workload?
Jayden Reed

Dealing with Jones Fracture in Left Foot
Lauri Markkanen

Torches Sweden
Neemias Queta

Dominates in EuroBasket Opener
Kawhi Leonard

Clippers Not Allowing Kawhi Leonard to Play Back-to-Backs
Olivier-Maxence Prosper

Mavericks Looking to Trade Olivier-Maxence Prosper
Tyrese Haliburton

Expects to Return in 15 Months
Malik Nabers

Expected to be Full-Go for Week 1
Freddie Freeman

Out Wednesday With Neck Stinger
Alejandro Kirk

Avoids Major Injury, Remains Out on Wednesday
Travis Hunter

Back at Practice, Will be Ready for Week 1
Luis Robert Jr.

Could Miss the Rest of the Season
De'Von Achane

Not Practicing on Wednesday
Trevor Megill

Brewers Place Trevor Megill on Injured List With Flexor Strain
Luis Robert Jr.

Placed on Injured List With Hamstring Strain
Rashee Rice

Accepting Six-Game Suspension to Begin the Year
Kyle Hamilton

Ravens, Kyle Hamilton Finalizing Four-Year Extension
Rashee Rice

NFL Aiming to Place Six-Game Suspension on Rashee Rice
De'Von Achane

Dolphins GM Says De'Von Achane Will be Ready for Week 1
Joe Mixon

Texans GM: "We'll See" if Joe Mixon Plays in 2025
Adam Thielen

Traded to the Vikings
Nick Lodolo

Expected to Return Wednesday Against the Dodgers
Terance Mann

Confident About Having a Big Year in Brooklyn
Zaccharie Risacher

Aims to Improve Ball-Handling Skills
NBA

Pistons And Timberwolves Join Race for Malik Beasley
John Tonje

Signs Two-Way Deal With Jazz
Max Strus

to Miss 3-4 Months After Surgery
Blake Snell

Activated From Paternity List Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys Still Expect Micah Parsons to Play in Week 1
Luis Robert Jr.

Exits Early With Hamstring Soreness
Chris Godwin

Passes Physical, Will be Activated From PUP List
Willson Contreras

Issued Six-Game Suspension
Randy Rodríguez

Randy Rodriguez Placed on Injured List
Brandon Aiyuk

49ers Officially Place Brandon Aiyuk on PUP List
Nathan Eovaldi

Likely Done for the Season
Yordan Alvarez

Activated and Starting on Tuesday
Oneil Cruz

Back From Injured List
New York Mets

Jonah Tong Promoted to Major Leagues
Nikola Jović

Heat Have High Hopes for Nikola Jovic
Golden State Warriors

Cody Martin Drawing Interest From Warriors
Minnesota Timberwolves

Timberwolves Interested in Reunion With Bones Hyland
Kylor Kelley

Joins Lakers
Colin Castleton

Links Up With Magic
Malik Monk

Kings "Not Actively Engaged" in Trade Discussions Involving Malik Monk
P.J. Washington

Mavs Likely to Offer P.J. Washington a Contract Extension
NHL

Jan Rutta Lands in Switzerland
Kirby Dach

Skates on Monday
COL

Tyson Barrie Retires From NHL
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Back in Toronto's Lineup
Zhang Mingyang

Suffers His First UFC Loss
Johnny Walker

Gets Back In The Win Column
Brian Ortega

Loses Back-To-Back Fights
Aljamain Sterling

Proves Too Much For Brian Ortega
Chris Sale

Penciled in to Start on Saturday
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Suffers Unanimous-Decision Loss
Sergei Pavlovich

Wins Decision At UFC Shanghai
Kevin Borjas

Drops Decision At UFC Shanghai
Sumudaerji

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Kiefer Crosbie

Still Winless In The UFC
Taiyilake Nueraji

Gets His First UFC Win
Ryan Blaney

Earns his Second Daytona Cup Series Win
Tyler Reddick

Locks Into the 2025 Playoffs Despite Underwhelming Daytona Performance
Erik Jones

Misses the 2025 Playoffs Despite Top-Five Run at Daytona
Justin Haley

Best Performance of 2025 Falls Short of Victory at Daytona
Chase Burns

To Throw Bullpen on Tuesday
Kyle Larson

Enters Playoffs As Co-Points Leader
Alex Bowman

Advances to Playoffs Despite Crashing at Daytona
Cole Custer

Finally Shows Signs of Life at Daytona
Daniel Suarez

Lame-Duck Daniel Suarez Delivers Clutch Second-Place Finish
Logan Gilbert

Punches Out 13 in Victory
Chase Elliott

Despite Being Winless at Daytona, Chase Elliott is Probably the Best DFS Option
Ryan Blaney

Will Likely Lead a Lot at Daytona
Kyle Larson

a Poor DFS Option at Daytona
Christopher Bell

Consistent Enough to Consider for DFS
Chris Buescher

Now Must Win His Way Into Playoffs
Ryan Preece

Being One of the Slowest-Starting Fords Makes Ryan Preece a Strong DFS Option
Ross Chastain

Leads a Lot on Drafting Tracks
Daniel Suarez

Now in Desperation Mode With his Career on the Line
Chase Briscoe

Tendency to Finish Better Than He Runs May Reap Dividends at Daytona
Carson Hocevar

Hard to Forecast Since He's Rarely Given 100 Percent at Daytona
Michael McDowell

has a Solid Drafting Record
AJ Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger Arguably Starting Too Well for Place-Differential Points
Austin Dillon

Will Likely Be Too Conservative for DFS Consideration
Moses Moody

Warriors Not Interested in Trading Moses Moody
Kevin Durant

Rockets Expected to Agree on New Contract
Trey Murphy III

Warriors, Spurs Interested in Trey Murphy III
CAR

Luke Kunin Joins Panthers on One-Year Deal
Auston Matthews

Says His Health is "Good" Before Start of Season
Roope Hintz

"Feeling Good" Ahead of New Season
Matthew Tkachuk

Recovering From Surgery
Marco Rossi

Wild Re-Sign Marco Rossi to Three-Year Deal