NBA: Golden State Warriors Provide Fresh Start For Former Number One Pick

KEY POINTS

Andrew Wiggins has been traded to the Golden State Warriors
This will be the first time Andrew Wiggins is part of a winning environment
Andrew Wiggins can fill a role similar to what Harrison Barnes did for the Warriors

The NBA Trade deadline handed the league a series of big moves. Part of the biggest names involved is Andrew Wiggins getting traded for D’Angelo Russell. The Golden State Warriors shipped their newly acquired guard in the off-season for the services of former number 1 pick.

This will serve as the first time Andrew Wiggins will be in a winning culture in his NBA career. As tweeted by Marc Stein, the Warriors believe that taking the high-flying forward will take him to a new level.

The Warriors clearly believe that bringing Andrew Wiggins into a winning environment -- something he has really never experienced -- will take him to a new level. They will face no shortage of skepticism ...
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 6, 2020

It’s no secret that Andrew Wiggins is a talented physical specimen. His High School mixtape to this day is discussed as one of the best highlight reels on YouTube.

He then started his career off a good start by winning Rookie of the Year in the 2014-2015 season. He’s had a series of good years with the Minnesota Timberwolves as he’s averaged above 20 points a game in a couple of seasons. His 2016-2017 campaign remains to be his best offensive year as he averaged 23.6 points per game.

But the criticism boils down to his work ethic. Oftentimes his scoring outputs don’t translate much to wins. He has only been to the postseason once in his career where he averaged 15.8 points in five games. He’s analyzed as an inconsistent player and hasn’t brought much success to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

This year he has shown much improvement. He kicked off the year with averages of 25.9 points per game that got the attention of the league. Unfortunately, that wasn’t sustained with the Timberwolves tumbling to the near bottom of the Western Conference. They are now currently at a 13-game losing streak and sit at 14th place with a 15-35 record.

With the addition of Andrew Wiggins to the Warriors, he will now have a chance to learn from the environment of a winning franchise. The Splash Brothers will make their full return next year meaning expectations to carry a team are not on him. His versatility as a small forward can mirror the role Harrison Barnes brought to the Warriors during their 2015 championship and historic 2016 73-9 season.