Golden State Warriors: 3 Keys to Andrew Wiggins’ success

1. Shot creation

Above all else, Andrew Wiggins will need to act as a third scoring option alongside the Splash Brothers. This means scoring night in and out much like Kevin Durant and Harrison Barnes did in the days before him. If he can at least match Barnes’ output – he will succeed.

But, Wiggins should be able to surpass Barnes. After all, he does average close to 20 points per game for his career and was the primary shot creator for Minnesota. He has skill as a pull-up shooter and can score in a multitude of ways. The question is – can he do it when it matters?

In his only playoff series, Wiggins averaged just 15.8 points as his Timberwolves team lost in five games to the Houston Rockets. Of course, he was only 22 years of age at the time and vastly outmatched. He won’t have the same amount of responsibility in Golden State, mostly playing as a complimentary piece to Curry and Thompson.

Still, none of this will work if Wiggins can’t make himself a threat to score with the ball in his hands. The Warriors can’t afford to have another dud out there alongside Draymond Green (assuming Green doesn’t snap out of the funk he has been in offensively for the last few years).

Wiggins will need to have stretches where he carries the offense at times. This is important to take the load off of Curry and Thompson throughout the season. If Wiggins does this, the Warriors will feel good about their chances of winning a title.