The Warriors are making an Andrew Wiggins realization that is well known to Timberwolves fans

The Minnesota Timberwolves are still sorting things out. Julius Randle is looking for his ideal partner and the team’s spending makes a blockbuster transfer unlikely. Their offense is stodgy and they are hovering around .500 by 2025. This group must find a way to develop into a serious contender in the congested Western Conference.

Minnesota is far from the only franchise struggling. The Kings are outside of the play-in tournament, which has sparked the De’Aaron Fox trade rumors. The Warriors and Suns are both in the play-in tournament mix despite having superstars at the top of their rosters. Nikola Jokic has been the MVP so far, but his Nuggets still have issues to work out. The West is full of talent, which will cause many disappointments.

Golden State got off to a fast start before falling to 10th place with 3:11 to play. Andrew Wiggins is having a bounce-back season, but Timberwolves fans know there’s no telling what’s next.

Andrew Wiggins continues to be shockingly inconsistent

Wiggins scored Austin Reaves’ winning goal on Christmas Day, sending the Warriors fan base into a frenzy. It wasn’t his first mistake in Golden State, but it’s easy to forget that he was one of the worst players in the NBA last season. The Warriors couldn’t give him away and now Wiggins is back.

The 6-foot-2 winger is averaging 17.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.8 blocks in 29.0 minutes per game this season. Head coach Steve Kerr runs intensive rotations and limits the minutes of all players. Wiggins is shooting 42.6 percent from 3-point range, posting nearly the same numbers as his All-Star campaign in 2022.

Timberwolves fans aren’t surprised. Minnesota selected him number one overall in 2014 and he spent his first five and a half NBA seasons with the franchise. He managed to score 20 points per game, but the Wolves only made the playoffs once. Wiggins’ performance was consistently high, including three times with a negative rating against substitute (VORP). He got his numbers, but didn’t always have an impact on the win.

The trend continued in the Bay Area after the Timberwolves gave up a first-round draft pick and Wiggins acquired D’Angelo Russell. The 6-foot-2 forward became an All-Star in 2022 and a key part of the Dubs championship before posting a negative VORP again last season. Behind his problems were off-the-field issues (subscription required), but it continued a trend that Minnesota fans saw early in his career.

The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Andrew Wiggins over Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Julius Randle and every other prospect in the talented 2014 draft class. They believed he could develop into the staple of their franchise, but his inconsistency prevented that from happening. Now the Warriors are feeling that pain as they fight to return to the playoffs in the congested West. Wolves fans are cheering on Wiggins, but no one knows where his performance will go from here.