Andrew Wiggins has come a long way from the Minnesota. The dynamic forward made the playoffs once with the Minnesota franchise, and many NBA fans and peers created a narrative about his will to win and compete at the highest level.
In an interview with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Wiggins said people should have never questioned his competitiveness, stating that a winning environment made all the difference in regard to changing the narrative.
“I would never say that I wasn’t competitive at any point. I was just on a losing team [in Minnesota],” Wiggins told Haynes. “I used to score more and do pretty much everything, but now I’m on a winning team.”
Wiggins has amped up his game this season and was named a first time All-Star. During the postseason, he also played a huge role for the Golden State Warriors being a two-way presence. During the latest game vs Boston, he went for a career-high 16 rebounds.
The Warriors beat Boston and regain home advantage. The Canadian forward also had 16 points putting the building blocks for a memorable performance in the first half. Wiggins told reporters Sunday the perception of him as a non-competitor worked in his favor.
“It bothered me in a motivational way, just wanted to change that viewpoint. But I would never go out in the media and be like [mocking sound]. I just play hard, and if that’s what you think, that’s what you think,” said Wiggins.
Wiggins is averaging 16.5 points and 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.3 blocks in the Finals, being a huge presence in both ends of the floor. The Warriors allowed just 105.0 points with Wiggins on the floor and have a plus-4.8 net rating in the last four games.
The Warriors will face the Celtics Monday for Game 5 of the series, and hope to keep the home court advantage on their side after winning crucial Game 4.
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