NBA: Former Top Pick Loses Shoes, Luggage To Thieves In Los Angeles

Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves is in Los Angeles and became the unfortunate victim of amateur burglars. The top pick of the 2014 NBA Draft lost his shoes and luggage after a break-in earlier this month.

TMZ Sports reports that cops described the scene as the work of amateurs. The reason behind this is that only things Wiggins lost were shoes, luggage, and his rental SUV Escalade. The vehicle was located a short time later but his other stuff have yet to be retrieved. Also, the incident is in no way tied up to the spate of thefts to celebrities the past year.

It is a sad development for the 24-year-old swingman who is in Los Angeles training for the coming NBA season. The 2015 NBA Rookie of the Year is busy working on his game as the T-Wolves try to come up with a better showing. Along with Karl-Anthony Towns, both are expected to be the main figures for head coach Ryan Saunders. That is if the Canadian can adapt to the T-Wolves system.

So far, Towns seems to be doing well with the change. Wiggins, who has so far struggled to unleash his true potential, has been struggling although there are flashes of hope. He just needs to find his place and identify where he is good at. For critics, self-confidence is a big question mark and consistency of play is key.

The coming NBA season is critical for the 6-foot-8 swingman who has been mentioned in trade rumors this offseason. But given that he is only in the second year of a $147 million deal, moving Wiggins will be easier said than done. As of this writing, there have been no indications that the Timberwolves are desperately planning to move him out.

In a previous post, Wiggins was one of two players suggested by former Atlanta Hawks general manager Wes Wilcox likely to be traded in the future. Along with Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, his take would depend on how well both young NBA stars would perform moving forward. Booker has shown he can lead his team on multiple occasions - something that Wiggins has so far failed to do.

Seeing Wiggins in deep training is a good sign that he is determined to prove his worth. But then again, is he on the right team to truly unleash his potential as an NBA star? The answer to that will depend on how he fares this 2019-20 NBA season.