There was always the possibility that Andrew Wiggins wouldn't get a chance to finish his first full season with the Miami Heat on account of trade rumors that swirled around earlier in the year. Wiggins didn't end up going anywhere, and the Heat can sigh in relief, given how important he has become to them.
Wiggins just reached 15,000 career points this week, a milestone that Erik Spoelstra believes "is not nothing" considering that Wiggins has always played better as a defensive stopper than a scoring machine. Miami didn't bring the former No. 1 draft pick so score, anyway, but to complement the rest of the roster.
Even throughout this season, his role has changed, to where today Wiggins in the role that has always best suited him throughout his career. His success in his role is why Spoelstra believes Wiggins fits so well within the Heat's style of play.
Wiggins playing with the flow of the game has given the Heat an invisible threat
Letting the opportunities come to him instead of forcing himself upon them has been Wiggins' greatest asset this season. Similar to his time with the Golden State Warriors, Wiggins wasn't necessarily the best playmaker. Instead, he excelled at letting plays unfold (much thanks to Steph Curry and Draymond Green) and capitalizing on what was given to him.
That's not to say that Wiggins has never been able to create his own shot, because that's simply not the case. Offensively, though, his strength has always played out better when he lets the game unfold in front of him, allowing him to play off of others. It's defensively where Wiggins is much more versatile and plays with more aggression, which is exactly how Spoelstra wants him to play.
“I think he’s one of the more underrated two-way players in the league," Spoelstra said. "He guards 1-5 for us, he guards top of the zone for us…sometimes because he’s so effective defensively — you forget this guy was a big-time scorer early on in his career. The fact he’s putting 15,000 points — that’s not nothing…”
The 15,000 points are quite the accomplishment for a player not known for his offensive greatness. Wiggins has only averaged more than 20 points per game three times in his NBA career, all with his first team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. After that, his role changed in Golden State, and now, in Miami, and he's all the better for it.
Wiggins' ability to not force his basketball is what makes him invisibly threatening to opposing teams' defense because he can light it up from the floor on occasion, but you won't get that from him night after night. More often than not, Wiggins allows opportunities to be presented to him, and he takes advantage. He has proven to be one of the best complementary weapons Miami has had in some time.
Wiggins is also one of Miami's best defenders, helping the Heat post a top-five defensive rating this year, and they are one of the few teams with both a top-15 offense and a top-5 defense currently in the NBA. Miami has been solid defensively all season, and Wiggins has played right in the center of it. With the Heat, this could be his most efficient and effective self yet.