NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Golden State Warriors are turning heads early in the NBA season. For a team that struggled to make the playoffs last year with basically the same roster, what they have accomplished so far has been remarkable. But ask around, and all will say the play of Stephen Curry has been the reason. If the MVP Award was given out right now, Curry would walk away with it. But not so fast. The real MVP of the Warriors is Andrew Wiggins.
What makes him valuable is that without Wiggins, would the Warriors be where they are now?
Curry is killing it on the court with averages of 29.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 6.5 assists while shooting 42 percent from deep. Curry is the leader and face of the franchise. However, Wiggins is having a stellar season himself with averages of 18.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and shooting .484 percent from the floor.
While the numbers have been great, it’s what Wiggins did for the team off the court that has allowed them to take the NBA by storm.
If you remember, Wiggins was against the COVID vaccination. So much so that he was willing to sit out due to his religious beliefs. But he changed his stance and got the shot needed in order to play. Without Klay Thompson, the scoring load fell on the shoulders of Curry and Wiggins.
This is why Andrew Wiggins is the MVP of the Warriors. He put the team first even if he didn’t want to unlike Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets. Imagine if Irving took the same stance that Wiggins did. The Nets were highly favored to be in the mix for a title this season but without Irving, they have struggled.
Despite Curry’s dominance this season, if Andrew Wiggins was not on the floor, the Warriors would not be at the top of the standings. Yes, the play of Jordan Poole has helped but having Wiggins on the floor has allowed Poole to blossom. Plus, it has allowed Draymond Green to focus on what he does best, play defense and facilitate. What’s also staggering is that the Warriors are top 3 in both Offensive and Defensive Ratings.
On the season, Wiggins is playing a career-low in minutes (29.2) and the 2nd lowest FGA per game (14.1) of his career. Even his scoring is down from the last four seasons. But this is not what describes a winner. Now close your eyes and imagine where this team would be if Wiggins was on the sidelines with the same stance that Irving took.
No matter what happens when Thompson does return, the Warriors are off to a great start in large part to Curry but mostly due to Wiggins and his desire to do what’s best for him and the team.
