Golden State Warriors: Andrew Wiggins is ramping up the aggression

Andrew Wiggins has never been one to be defined as a “fiery” competitor. Even after revitalizing his career with the Golden State Warriors and reshaping his reputation, Wiggins is still not seen as an overly enthusiastic player.

However, fans of Wiggins have noticed a change in his mentality recently. Though he is embracing his role as a secondary scorer and playing comfortably in Stephen Curry’s offensive shadow, Wiggins has ramped up his aggression to new heights.

Andrew Wiggins has looked like a new player since joining the Golden State Warriors and his physicality is at an all-time high.

This is for a few reasons. First, the Dubs cut out all of the BS in Wiggins’ game and forced him to stick to the basics. Attack the basket or shoot a 3-pointer. Do NOT settle for a mid-range shot.

During his time in Minnesota, Wiggins was the go-to scorer. With a lackluster supporting cast, Wiggins was mostly left on an island and asked to bail out the Timberwolves. This led to a bad habit of accepting a mid-range shot rather than putting his head down and exerting himself to the rim routinely.

In contrast, Wiggins’ game has been simplified with the Dubs. For the first time in his career, fewer than 10 percent of his field goals are coming from 10-16 feet and a career-high 35.9 percent are coming from the 3-point line.

This is a marginal adjustment but the change to Wiggins’ shot chart has helped him capitalize on what he is good at and reserve the mid-range shot for rhythm pull-ups that come naturally, rather than forced.

What’s more, Wiggins is using his strength to bulldoze opponents. His attacks have been relentless and he’s left a few defenders dazed with his brute force. For example, he tossed rookie Scottie Barnes out of the way for an easy layup in Toronto.

As Draymond Green has pointed out, Wiggins’ physicality has been increasing as the season goes on:

The puck does not stop there. Wiggins has picked up a few things about playing gritty defense by being teammates with Green for two and a half years. The addition of Andre Iguodala only helps more.

Wiggins is as energetic as they get on defense. Though, you would never know it by his demeanor. He is constantly disrupting opponents and contesting shots at a league-high rate. Without him, the Dubs would not have the best defense in the NBA.

His aggression on both sides of the floor is something NBA fans have been waiting to see from Wiggins since he was selected No. 1 overall. Now, he is finally applying pressure to the rest of the league by using his physical gifts.

Wiggins is averaging 24.0 points on 56.1 percent shooting over his last seven games in what is arguably the most complete stretch of his entire career.