Andrew Wiggins has quietly evolved from a polarizing, low-efficiency volume scorer into one of the most coveted 3-and-D wings in the NBA. It's a rather stunning development, as Wiggins was a subpar shooter whose defensive intensity was routinely questioned for nearly half of his career.
As the Miami Heat stare down their lack of volume scoring options along the perimeter, however, they need Wiggins to turn back the clock—without compromising the progress he's made.
Through the first six seasons of his 12-year NBA career, Wiggins shot 33.2 percent from beyond the arc. He averaged 19.7 points per game, peaking at 23.6 on .452/.356/.760 shooting in 2016-17, but never returned to that level of efficiency and thus lost some of his volume.
Over the past six seasons, however, Wiggins has averaged 16.5 points per game on .466/.387/.718 shooting while emerging as a high-level defensive player.
This past season, Wiggins' volume dipped and his efficiency skyrocketed. He averaged 15.4 points per game—the second-lowest mark of his career—and shot at an eye-opening clip of .475/.414/.784. He also posted the best eFG% of his career at .559 and ranked in the 96th percentile in perimeter isolation defense, per Basketball Index.
With no proven volume scorers on the roster after Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, however, the question suddenly beckons: Can Wiggins increase his scoring output without compromising his efficiency or defense?
Heat need Andrew Wiggins to score more while still filling 3-and-D role
Antetokounmpo is one of the most dominant scorers in the NBA. He averaged at least 30.4 points per game in every season between 2022-23 and 2024-25, and posted 34.4 points per 36 minutes on 62.4 percent shooting from the field in 2025-26.
Adebayo inspired faith in his own scoring abilities by averaging 20.1 points per game in 2025-26. In saying that, he also shot at an underwhelming clip of .442/.318/.778.
In terms of 2025-26 season volume, the next-leading scorer on the roster is Wiggins. Tim Hardaway Jr. should alleviate some pressure as a fearless scorer coming off of a career year in terms of three-point efficiency, and Bobby Portis should further strengthen the interior as a well-rounded scorer.
Until players such as Nikola Jovic and Pelle Larsson prove otherwise, however, Wiggins is the most proven isolation perimeter scorer on the roster—and will thus have high-volume responsibilities.
Heat lack scoring depth, but also need spacers and defenders
The hurdle that Wiggins must be able to leap is that increasing his volume as a scorer can't come at the cost of his defense or his shooting. Larsson's development on defense could afford Wiggins some wiggle room in that regard, but Miami is still painfully thin on three-point shooters.
After attempting the second-fewest field goals per game of his career in 2025-26 at 12.1, however, it's fair to question if a larger offensive role can truly be achieved without hurting his efficiency.
If Wiggins can increase his production to the range of 18 points per game without losing his shooting and defense, Miami's ambitions will round into form. If he can't, however, then striking an ideal scoring balance without losing some of their core identity elements will be a gargantuan challenge.
It's an unfavorable position for the 31-year-old to find himself in, but Wiggins emerging as a true third scoring option could prove to be the difference between Miami contending and pretending.
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