The Miami Heat looked like a completely different team in their win against the Atlanta Hawks. Andrew Wiggins was a big reason why.
Bam Adebayo's breakthrough performance will certainly steal the headlines, and rightfully so, but Wiggins finally played like the third option that the Heat are going to need if they're going to be successful this season.
Even if Bam and Giannis Antetokounmpo live up to their expectations, the Heat were always going to need a consistent third option to take this team to even greater heights. That's why Heat fans have to be hoping that Wiggins' awakening is here to stay. If it is, Miami could be positioned to turn their season around for good.
Andrew Wiggins breaks out of his early-season slump
Against the Hawks, Wiggins finished with 18 points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Perhaps most importantly, Wiggins went 6-for-9 from the field overall and 4-for-7 from the 3-point range.
It's his offensive efficiency, specifically, that the Heat have been missing all season long. Even before Bam's breakout performance, there wasn't another consistent player that the Heat could lean on on the offensive end of the floor when Giannis wasn't dominating in the paint.
Sure, it's great that Tim Hardaway Jr. showed signs of offensive competence, and that Pelle Larsson's versatility was on display, but it's Wiggins who could truly be the x-factor that this team has been waiting for.
Heading into the start of this season, many questioned whether the Heat would have enough shooting and, overall, offensive punch around Giannis and Bam. The lack of confidence in Wiggins was a big reason why. And through the first four games of the season, the naysayers were right.
Andrew Wiggins can raise the Heat's offensive ceiling
However, in their win over the Hawks, Wiggins showed that he has the ability to be the player he was last year, and not the one who started this season in a slump.
Last season, Wiggins averaged 15 points and five rebounds on 41 percent shooting from the 3-point range. Through the first four games of this season, Wiggins was averaging nine points and four rebounds on 12 percent shooting from deep. That's just not going to cut it.
But if Wiggins can be the player he was against the Hawks on a much more consistent basis, and more so as productive (and efficient) as he was last season, it could completely change the math for the Heat.
If this Wiggins is here to stay, the Heat's outlook just changed on a dime. Heat fans are certainly hoping that it does end up being the case.
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