It was a reassuring sight to see Andrew Wiggins pop-off for 40 points in a shorthanded win for the Golden State Warriors. While this was a season-high from Wiggins, it wasn’t the first time in his career where he inexplicably broke a dry-spell by scoring 30+ points seemingly out of nowhere.
Wiggins has always been inconsistent. There’s really no telling what type of performance you’re gonna get from him on any given night. This is usually the case for young players – but at this stage in his career, and playing for the Warriors, Wiggins will need to find consistency.
Andrew Wiggins’ 40 point explosion against the Memphis Grizzlies was nice… but the Golden State Warriors need consistency from him.
Let’s give credit where credit is due. It’s not easy to snap out of a shooting slump and Wiggins rose to the occasion with Stephen Curry, James Wiseman and Eric Paschall all sidelined. He drilled six 3-pointers and shot 14-of-24 (58 percent) overall en route to securing a win for the Dubs. This coming after a 21-game rut in which he shot just 33 percent from the 3-point line.
Funnily enough, this wasn’t the first time a member of the Warriors scored 40 points following a troubling shooting stretch. Kelly Oubre scored a career-best against Dallas and is shooting 49/38/68 from the floor ever since.
The Warriors will be hoping that this trend continues for Wiggins. No, they don’t need him to score 40 points every night. They won’t even need him to get 20 on most nights. The key, however, is efficiency and providing additional shot creation every time he steps on the floor.
Wiggins has scored 20+ points on 10 occasions this season. In those games, the Warriors hold an 8-2 record. In contrast, Golden State is just 3-10 when he scores 15 or fewer points, with an average margin of defeat of 20.3 points.
It’s unclear how long Curry will be sidelined but Wiggins will be just as important when the MVP is back on the court. Wiggins is capable of relieving Curry of the immense weight he is carrying offensively and it will take consistent efforts from him to help shift the tides of this season.