Andrew Wiggins

"We knew we needed his athleticism and defense and his versatility. We had no idea that he would make this kind of contribution," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said ...

"The fact that there's opportunity for him to do what he's doing because of the way that we play and because of the way that we've embraced him from day one. "He's embraced the challenge of consistency and what he's capable of doing on both ends of the floor," Curry said. "In a situation like this series where things are not as smooth and you have some rough patches, he finds a way to respond with the right energy and approach and toughness that, if you're watching the game, you notice him at all times because he's kind of everywhere," Curry said. In addition to Wiggins, Kerr named Green and Gary Payton II as central figures on that end of the floor. "I mean, buying in is one of the biggest keys to success in this league, and for what Andrew did tonight, I mean, we don't get -- we don't get more excited than when Wiggs dunks on somebody," Klay Thompson said. All season long, the Warriors have hung their hats on being a defense-first team -- a notion that's not necessarily obvious because the roster boasts two of the NBA's best, most dangerous shooters. He's distributing the ball. Wiggins' fit with the Warriors has been consistently discussed throughout the season. They want the best for you. They always bring out the best in you. "We knew we needed his athleticism and defense and his versatility. You kind of need to find the right place, the right teammates, that kind of stuff.

Golden State Warriors star Andrew Wiggins' replicated his father's performance from 36 years ago in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

But there is no denying the fact that Wiggins was the Game 5 star in San Francisco. Stephen Curry failed to make a single three-pointer in the game and Golden State’s explosive offense produced just 104 points. The Golden State Warriors took care of business at home in Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals. However, it wasn’t a typical Warriors performance.

Andrew Wiggins and the Warriors win Game 5, Lamar Jackson returns for the Ravens, and Phil Mickelson faces the music and the media at the U.S. Open.

- GOLF:Phil Mickelson faces the media for the first time in the U.S. since defection to the LIV Golf Series Andrew Wiggins and the Warriors win Game 5, Lamar Jackson returns for the Ravens, and Phil Mickelson faces the music and the media at the U.S. Open. Building on the award-winning journalism of The Sporting News, you’ll get all you need to know in one handy, bite-sized podcast hosted by Demetria Obilor.

With a roaring crowd behind him, Wiggins zoomed past Derrick White through an empty lane into an unguarded basket for the capper to his career night. Wait a ...

Watch as a defender that otherwise might have shifted over to contest Wiggins refuses to take his eyes off of Curry because the thought of doing so for even a moment was more threatening to him than a wide-open dunk. Just take in the moment that repeats itself dozens of times throughout every single Warriors game, the one where the opposing defense is so petrified by the idea of Curry taking even a contested shot that they're willing to sacrifice an open one. When a team decides to acquire a player, especially one as expensive as Wiggins, they're doing so with the belief that the player in question is suited to playing off of their star or stars. But in this scenario, Curry is still the star that Wiggins is orbiting. There isn't a Warrior that can do for him what he does for them, so he's been forced to create the bulk of his own shots through pick-and-roll. Some version of this dilemma plays out on almost every Golden State basket that isn't scored by Curry. If you want to understand where the overwhelming majority of Warriors points come from, you only need to watch a possession and ask yourself "where is Steph?" That will typically take you in the right direction. Of course, Looney is so big that he can initially angle the screen directly behind Smart, but at the last second slide up a step to throw off White, who he knows will be meeting Wiggins after the inevitable switch. Jayson Tatum should have been the low-man here, sliding into the lane and off of Gary Payton II in order to contest Wiggins at the basket, but he's a wing used to playing in gigantic lineups. He's so stuck on Curry that by the time he evens looks back toward the basket, Wiggins is already in the air. White starts the possession on Stephen Curry, but when Curry scampers down to the corner, the Celtics don't even wait for a Kevon Looney screen to preemptively switch. With a roaring crowd behind him, Wiggins zoomed past Derrick White through an empty lane into an unguarded basket for the capper to his career night. White, 6-4 and skinny, was at the other end of that preemptive Boston switch, and he follows Looney back up the floor.

Dwyane Wade is known for throwing praise at current NBA players. His latest was towards Golden State Warriors small forward Andrew Wiggins.

He has been the most consistent player for Golden State outside of Curry, averaging 18.4 points, 1.6 assists and 9.4 rebounds in the Finals. He was also efficient on the defensive end, drawing fouls and forcing turnovers. He’s letting the game come to him but he’s still being aggressive!”

Andrew Wiggins' agent reportedly wanted to know if Wiggins was in the Warriors' long-term plans at the time of the trade. He's been a seamless fit.

You kind of need to find the right place, the right teammates, that kind of stuff. It was an open question in the NBA world if the Warriors had just burdened themselves with an unproductive player who would also be tough to move because of his contract. He is rarely tasked with being the No. 1 scoring option. In Golden State, however, Wiggins has grown more comfortable with a lesser role. When the Warriors flipped All-Star guard D'Angelo Russell to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Wiggins and a 2022 first-round pick in 2020, it was a bet that they could revive the adrift then-24-year-old. He had only a passive interest in playmaking and his defensive intensity waned.

After Stephen Curry scored 43 points in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Warriors teammate Andrew Wiggins expressed his amazement.

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Andrew Wiggins finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds for his second straight double-double and led the Warriors' defensive effort in their pivota...

"The fact that there's opportunity for him to do what he's doing because of the way that we play and because of the way that we've embraced him from day one. "He's embraced the challenge of consistency and what he's capable of doing on both ends of the floor," Curry said. "The fact that there's opportunity for him to do what he's doing because of the way that we play and because of the way that we've embraced him from day one. "In a situation like this series where things are not as smooth and you have some rough patches, he finds a way to respond with the right energy and approach and toughness that, if you're watching the game, you notice him at all times because he's kind of everywhere," Curry said. "He's embraced the challenge of consistency and what he's capable of doing on both ends of the floor," Curry said. All season long, the Warriors have hung their hats on being a defense-first team -- a notion that's not necessarily obvious because the roster boasts two of the NBA's best, most dangerous shooters. In addition to Wiggins, Kerr named Green andGary Payton IIas central figures on that end of the floor. "We knew we needed his athleticism and defense and his versatility. "In a situation like this series where things are not as smooth and you have some rough patches, he finds a way to respond with the right energy and approach and toughness that, if you're watching the game, you notice him at all times because he's kind of everywhere," Curry said. All season long, the Warriors have hung their hats on being a defense-first team -- a notion that's not necessarily obvious because the roster boasts two of the NBA's best, most dangerous shooters. "We knew we needed his athleticism and defense and his versatility. They always bring out the best in you.

Grading Steph Curry, Andrew Wiggins, and the rest of the Golden State Warriors in the team's 104-94 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the 2022 NBA ...

He also was targeted time and time again on defense and, unlike Curry, rewarded Boston for that approach. His offense was crafty. His defense was relentless. Looney got into foul trouble immediately, picking up three fouls in his first three minutes on the court. Bjeli didn’t get much of an opportunity in this game, and what little time he got was with a pretty poor and funky lineup on the court. His defense didn’t get the credit that other players’ did, but it was still very good. He had a strong defensive game as Boston targeted him all night. Because not only did they prove that they can win without an excellent Chef Curry game, but he’ll be something special going forward. It was just the 40th time in his career that he’d gone a game without making a three. Porter got his second straight start and, for the second straight game, he didn’t do all that much. I often say in this space that the Warriors offense functions better when Green is being aggressive. And let’s be honest: we all knew it was coming.

Andrew Wiggins churned out a monumental performance to help the Golden State Warriors to a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.

The series heads back to Boston for Game 6 and the Warriors can clinch their fourth title of this dynastic run. He’s just been fantastic, not just in this series but throughout the playoffs.” “We could withstand going 9-for-40 as a team and me 0-for-9, and still come away with a win.” “I think throughout the playoffs, really, he’s rebounded well,” Kerr told reporters. You know, staying — asserting yourself, even when you’re tired or just finding reasons to motivate yourself to win, and I feel like it’s just a competitive spirit in me,” Wiggins said of his amped up defensive effort. He’s also played a key role on the defensive end, often having to keep an eye on Celtics star Jayson Tatum.

The Golden State Warriors take a 3-2 series lead in the Finals after Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson powered them to a 104-94 win over the Boston Celtics ...

Tatum looked a lot more like his normal self in Game 5. While Stephen Curry had an off night shooting the ball, Andrew Wiggins stepped in to fill the void on the offensive end, scoring 26 points. With Curry struggling to find his shot, Wiggins was a constant source of offense in Game 5, coming up big down the stretch with 10 points and five rebounds on 5-of-6 shooting in the fourth quarter alone.

But the Warriors have Wiggins. He has had a sterling postseason and is topping it off with a monumental run at the most crucial time in this frantic NBA Finals, ...

“It’s something I dreamt about for sure, being in the league, and this is the ultimate stage,” Wiggins said. That’s a guy — you want a guy like that, when the stage gets big, they respond and play their best basketball, and that’s what he’s been doing.” He’s attacking shot-blocker Robert Williams (not very effectively, but somebody’s got to do it). He’s in Tatum’s face on every defensive possession and smacking at the basketball every chance he gets. “He loves the competition. “He loves the challenge,” Steve Kerr said. And we need him to do that for one more win. If they were going to win another title, they definitely needed him guarding the best wing players, digging out some rebounds and taking advantage of the space provided when defenses overloaded on Curry. They needed him. A neon indication: He’s played 40, 43 and another 43 minutes in the past three games, by far the most on the team, almost entirely matched against Tatum. Yes, the Warriors are now only one win away from the fourth championship of this era and the first since they acquired Wiggins in a February 2020 trade. “We don’t get more excited than when Wiggs dunks on somebody (and) mean mugs them,” Klay Thompson said of Wiggins’ flying dunk over Derrick White and quick glare to help seal the victory late in the fourth quarter. So his teammates love it when he gets a little bit out of character and glares at somebody after a massive dunk. That came after Wiggins scored 17 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the Warriors’ Game 4 victory in Boston to support Stephen Curry’s epic 43-point, 10-rebound performance.

Andrew Wiggins was praised by his teammates in the post-game presser after a 26-point performance in the Golden State Warriors' Game 5 win over the Boston ...

Klay Thompson also praised Wiggins and the rest of the Warriors team, saying, “I can go down the list. A win is a win. Thanks to this and his intangible elite defence, the Warriors are now 3-2 up in the NBA 2022 Finals. Game 6 is in Boston [and Game 7 in Golden State, if needed].

Every game of the NBA Finals is live on Sky Sports: Watch Warriors @ Celtics – Game 6, live on Sky Sports Arena and Main Event, on Thursday night from ...

Boston, on the other hand, looked daunted and suffered a second consecutive defeat for the first time in this postseason. He had 14 points on the night and renaissance man Gary Payton II, who fractured his elbow just a month before the NBA Finals started, was also a big contributor in Game 5 with 15 points and 5 rebounds. As for Wiggins, who has been the Dubs' second-best player in the series by a distance, he had multiple highlight plays. Tatum looked like he was on the cusp of his best performance of the finals for a spell in the third quarter but he undid that work with some poor decisions and on two separate occasions, the 24-year-old missed both free throws after being fouled. Curry, for his part, failed to make a three-pointer in an NBA game for the first time since November 8, 2018. Andrew Wiggins was the star man on this occasion, impressing with his scoring, defense and rebounding in a magnificent all-round display.

On a night when Steph Curry was ordinary, Andrew Wiggins was superb enough for the Warriors to prevail over the Celtics.

“Man, there are just a lot of great people here,” he said. But he now has receipts he can flash as evidence in his favor. You kind of need to find the right place, the right teammates, that kind of stuff. The support system, everyone on this team, this organization, they support you and they want to see you do good, and they put you in a position to do good.” He was plus-15 over 11 minutes in the fourth. Which they did shortly after he drove around Derrick White for an emphatic dunk that gave the Warriors a 99-84 lead with 2:10 remaining. The dunk whipped the sellout crowd (18,064) at Chase Center into a frenzy. But Wiggins this season is flashing the potential projected when he was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. “That trust has been building for two and a half years now since he got here,” Green said. The doubters were back, insisting he was unworthy. Getting such efficiency and activity from Wiggins is particularly satisfying, as the veteran forward has spent most of his eight-year career fighting varying levels of criticism. A star one night, invisible the next.

Andrew Wiggins and the Golden State Warriors seem like a match made in heaven. Prior to joining the Dubs, Wiggs was struggling to find his place in the.

Throughout the postseason, Wiggs has impressed everyone with his elite defense and ability to step up when his team needs him the most. Of course, he was playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he was more or less stuck there. Andrew Wiggins and the Golden State Warriors seem like a match made in heaven.

It wasn't going to be easy for Andrew Wiggins to top his performance from Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Wiggins had scored 17 points while hauling in a.

He was the only Warrior apart from Steph Curry to really show up in that game and when Curry had an off-night in Game 5, Wiggins delivered arguably the best game of his career. If you'd told someone when he was traded to the Warriors that Wiggins would become such a key component that he might become a Warrior legend someday and they'd have laughed at your face. Stars around the league were in awe of Wiggins after his sensational performance.

On an off night by Stephen Curry, Wiggins led Golden State to a 104-94 Game 5 victory. Wiggins capped his night with an emphatic dunk.

“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime,” Wiggins said on ABC. “I worked hard for it. Whether the Warriors need Wiggins has been debatable. “He loves the challenge,” Kerr said. “He loves the competition. When Kevin Durant left, the Warriors executed a double sign-and-trade for Russell on a max contract to keep the salary slot then flipped Russell for Wiggins. Without Wiggins, opposing teams wouldn’t grumble nearly as much about the Warriors’ spending. But Wiggins’ athleticism allows him to hold up in the highest levels. On a good team, he fit in with his defense and complementary scoring. Though fans voting him in received a lot of attention, the NBA’s new system ensured he’d make it only with sufficient support from media and fellow players. Not even a regular-season All-Star berth would satisfy in Golden State. If not selected a starter, Western Conferences coached might have voted him in as a reserve. just to see Wiggins’ production frustratingly fall off a cliff as soon as he put pen to paper. The Warriors’ other top players – Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green – have all already won three championships.

On a night when Steph Curry was ordinary, Andrew Wiggins was extraordinary to lead the Warriors to the brink of the NBA championship.

The support system, everyone on this team, this organization, they support you and they want to see you do good, and they put you in a position to do good. "The bigger the challenge has been that we've thrown in front of him, the bigger he's responded," Green said. At the end of the day, no matter what it takes or whatever they need from me, I'm here to help them win." You kind of need to find the right place, the right teammates, that kind of stuff. Kevin Durant left for Brooklyn in free agency, and Klay Thompson wasn’t going to play in 2019-20 after sustaining a torn ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 Finals against Toronto. "Great people here that challenge you," Wiggins said. "I was out there being aggressive," the understated Wiggins said. When the stage gets big, they respond and play their best basketball, and that's what he's been doing." By comparison, Curry is averaging 30.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals and is shooting 46.6% from the field and 41.7% on 3-pointers. “He's found such a crucial role on our team, and I think that empowers him," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. Curry struggled in Game 5, just 16 points on 9-for-22 shooting, and he missed his nine 3-point attempts, the first time he didn’t make a 3 in 133 career playoff games. On a night when Curry was ordinary, Wiggins was extraordinary.

Golden State Warriors guard Andrew Wiggins made his case for NBA Finals MVP in Monday night's victory over the Boston Celtics. Wiggins played 43 minutes and ...

"Man, there are just a lot of great people here," he added. He needed to have an elevated performance as Stephen Curry, who scored 43 points in Game 4, went cold from beyond the arc. It was a good game." Wiggins played 43 minutes and scored 26 points on 12-of-23 shooting, leading the team. Wiggins has maintained he just wants to win and has found a way to do it in three of the five games so far between the Warriors and Celtics. An NBA Finals victory would put the cap on the guard's incredible season, in which he averaged 17.2 points and 4.5 rebounds and made his first All-Star team. I was out there being aggressive.

Exhibiting a determined confidence and grit all game, Andrew Wiggins single-handedly took the pressure off Stephen Curry and delivered the best game yet of ...

... Otto Porter Jr. started for a second straight game with Kevon Looney coming off the bench. "And then the fact that it's 25 years ago just makes me feel old, of course." Jayson Tatum had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who lost consecutive games for the first time in the postseason. Al Horford hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 6:28 left in the period that made it 58-55 as the Celtics finally found their shooting groove from deep. Golden State wound up 9 of 40 from beyond the arc -- Wiggins 0 of 6. "Definitely now, our backs are against the wall, and we have to see what we're made of." The Celtics were sloppy in stretches, committing 18 turnovers. "It's something I dreamt about for sure, being in the league, and this is the ultimate stage," Wiggins said. "... The bigger the challenge has been that we've thrown in front of him, the bigger he's responded. The Celtics found their own third-quarter magic that has long defined Golden State's success in the second half. If the Celtics can win at home, the series will return to the Bay Area for a winner-take-all Game 7 on Sunday. All five games so far have been decided by 10 or more points. One game after his 43-point performance, Curry contributed 16 points and eight assists but was 0 for 9 from 3-point range.

The Celtics star wasn't all that impressed with the Warriors forward way back in 2012.

While Parker has been left without a team for most of the last two seasons, Wiggins has re-invented himself on the Warriors and has become perhaps the second-most important player on an NBA Finals team. It’s difficult to fault Tatum for a tweet from 10 years ago, especially when the evidence might have leaned in his favor at the time. Parker went to Duke and became a consensus first-team All-American as a freshman, while Wiggins enrolled at Kansas and was named first-team All-Big 12.

Largely matched up with Celtics star Jayson Tatum, Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins just outplayed Tatum in an NBA Finals game.

And Tatum weighed in The Wiggins-Parker debate continued into 2014, when they were largely considered the top two prospects in the NBA draft. It is an amusing situation.

If the story of Andrew Wiggins' performance in Game 5 of the 2022 NBA Finals was in the script of a movie, you might find it a bit too coincidental to be ...

As a former No. 1 overall pick and second-generation NBA player, Wiggins has been the subject of some unfair criticism throughout the first eight years of his NBA career. In many ways, this is beginning to read like a superhero origin story. With a chance to move within one win of the first NBA title of his career, Wiggins seized the opportunity, leading Golden State to a Game 5 win over Boston with 26 points and 13 rebounds, all while playing stellar defense on All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum.

The path for Andrew Wiggins in the NBA has been with many difficulties. He entered as number 1 in the 2014 Draft, but that added more pressure to his career ...

And the opponent coincidentally was the same as that of his son, the Boston Celtics. The father had a much less significant role than his son in the Warriors. Mitchell was a rotation player, one of those who always came out as a reserve. The path for Andrew Wiggins in the NBA has been with many difficulties.

Andrew Wiggins has been so good in the NBA Finals thus far that he's channeling his inner Michael Jordan.

Wiggins' bucket gave the Warriors an 87-78 advantage with 7:26 left, part of his 10-point fourth that helped put the game away. I was out there being aggressive. While Wiggins didn’t do the full hand switch – he had the ball in both hands initially before finishing with the left – his incredible athleticism was on display in the fourth quarter of a Finals game that both the Warriors and the Celtics desperately needed.

It's time to give Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins the credit he is due amid his incredible NBA Finals display.

He has been the team’s second-best player behind Stephen Curry, averaging more points than Klay Thompson while leading in both rebounds and shots contested in the series. — Leads both teams in rebounds He was all over the floor for Golden State as they locked down Boston and made life hard for them on the offensive end.