Following a career-worst year with the Golden State Warriors in 2023-24, Andrew Wiggins had an excellent bounce-back season leading up to the trade deadline.
In some ways it actually worked against Wiggins, with his return to form making him a valuable enough asset to be the key piece in a blockbuster trade for Jimmy Butler just over two weeks ago. The Canadian had been the Warriors' second-best player before being moved to the Miami Heat, having averaged 17.6 points and 4.6 rebounds on 37.9% 3-point shooting.
Jerry Stackhouse has provided some motivation to Andrew Wiggins
Golden State knew they needed an injection of offensive talent to provide greater support for Stephen Curry, having languished as the 18th-ranked team on that end of the floor through the first 51 games of the season.
That's why the Warriors ultimately made the tough decision to move Wiggins for Butler. The 6x All-Star has since averaged 20.4 points with the Warriors while bringing significantly more from a playmaking standpoint, evidenced by the fact Golden State have ranked sixth in offense through their five games with Butler.
While Butler was always going to be an offensive upgrade, the Warriors would have had to weigh up the defensive complication of losing their primary perimeter defender. Well according to recent comments from defensive coordinator Jerry Stackhouse, the decision may have been made easier by the realization that Wiggins was/is no longer the defender he was once.
“I personally didn’t think he (Wiggins) was great against the other team’s best player. He was better against those next guys," Stackhouse said recently to Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle. "We’d throw him on (the top players) sometimes, because of the reputation of what he did in ’22 and whatnot, but I saw separation."
These comments were eye-raising for some fans who believed that kicking Wiggins on his way out was unnecessary. The 29-year-old's departure has been felt on the defensive end at times, particularly against the Dallas Mavericks prior to the All-Star break when Kyrie Irving went for 42 points in a four-point win.
Still, the Warriors have lifted from 10th to sixth in defensive rating since the trade, so perhaps Stackhouse has a point in that Wiggins' impact on that end may have been overstated. Either way, it could certainly be utilized as a source of motivation for Wiggins to return to the 2022 level that Stackhouse has referred to.
Wiggins probably doesn't need any more motivation to prove Golden State wrong, but Stackhouse certainly made some headlines with his very revealing comments. Adding fuel to the fire certainly adds some danger, with Stackhouse surely hoping his comments don't come back to bite he and the Warriors.