Golden State Warriors wing Andrew Wiggins is one of the most heavily criticized players in the league. Perhaps if he was drafted late in the first round or even 10th overall, that wouldn’t be the case but such is the burden of a player selected with the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
A player who has donned a nickname, “Maple Jordan,” that alludes to perhaps the greatest player of all-time. The one who left the University of Kansas with many believing he would be the best talent in the game since LeBron James.
True enough, Wiggins has been his own worst enemy at time, often settling for difficult and long jump shots within the arc — even when the league shifted to one that valued three-pointers as the quintessential jump shot. His tunnel vision hindered his playmaking ability, leading many to call him a black hole on offense. His defensive effort left plenty to be desired.
Despite all his natural talent and his physical tools, Wiggins turned in more mediocre games than you would expect from a player of his caliber and failed to lead a suddenly hapless Minnesota Timberwolves franchise to the NBA zenith he was expected to drag them up to.
One could imagine how Wiggins has felt about these criticisms but, on Tuesday, the 2014-15 Rookie of the Year put it into words. In no uncertain terms, Wiggins made it clear whose opinion he respects enough to truly deliberate on.
In essence, if that individual hasn’t played basketball at a high level, he’s not losing sleep over the criticism.
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” says Wiggins, following the Warriors’ practice on Tuesday. “I feel like real ballers — real people that have been there and done that — I respect their opinion. If you haven’t been there, done that… I don’t really look too deep into it.”
Andrew Wiggins on if criticisms get to him:
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I feel like real ballers, real people that have been there and done that I respect their opinion. If you haven’t been there, done that… I don’t really look too deep into it.” pic.twitter.com/H8sPSuMR9A
— Logan Murdock (@loganmmurdock) February 11, 2020
A player who has averaged at least 20.0 points per game in three out of his six career seasons, took the initiative to be held accountable for his play this season and has made efforts to impact the game in other ways than scoring for at least the past two seasons, the positives of Wiggins — in both his game and his mentality — aren’t discussed nearly enough.
He’s objectively a flawed player but any fan or analyst would be hard-pressed to find a player without flaws, as Wiggins would note on Tuesday when talking about his defense and his awareness that he still has plenty of room to grow on that end of the floor.
That said, while a player like Miami Heat wing Jimmy Butler — who tried to bring the best out of Wiggins with a myriad of tactics in Minnesota — may have the type of opinion that Wiggins respects, the Canadian high-flyer is now in an environment where he’s going to be surrounded by plenty of people who can get in his ear.
Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, all whom have helped form the core of the Warriors dynasty. Even Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, a former player who has eight NBA championships between his playing and coaching days.
Wiggins may be able to dispel the notions about his play with success in Golden State and recognizable growth along the way. However, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll put stock in the praise of the same parties whose criticism he doesn’t.