NBA Rumors: Former Warrior Thinks Wiggins Will Push Dubs Back In Contention

Retired NBA star Tim Hardaway knows talent when he sees one. Known to be among the first reliable stars that the Golden State Warriors had in the 1990s, the 53-year-old guard feels that Andrew Wiggins fits in nicely with the future of the Dubs. In fact, he feels that the former top pick will play a key role in the Warriors redemption drive starting next season.

In a report from TMZ Sports, Hardaway mentioned how Wiggins is a perfect piece to the rebuilding efforts for the team he played for from 1989 to 1996. He feels that Golden State made the right move in trading for him, giving up D'Angelo Russell in the process. Hardaway thinks that everything will fall into place, especially once Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson return from their respective injuries.

"Andrew Wiggins is gonna be real nice with them. Yes, he is," Hardaway said. "Perfect piece, no question!"

After failing to hit it well with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Wiggins ended up getting shipped to the dubs earlier this month. It went as far as some calling him a bust despite the fact that he is putting up decent numbers. For this season, Wiggins has played in 47 games, averaging 22.1 points, 5.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per Basketball-Reference.com. Considering he carries a five-year $147 million contract, Wiggins needs to carry those numbers and improve more in the coming years.

So far, things seem to be working between Wiggins and the Warriors. Head coach Steve Kerr sees good things in Wiggins, even on defense. Though he was known more of an offensive-minded player, Wiggins has been proving to be an effective defender against opposing teams. As mentioned in a previous post, his quickness may be because there was a time when the T-Wolves tried to convert him into a shooting guard. Though that never worked, reverting to his normal playing position may have made him more agile compared to other forwards.

Wiggins may be impressive now but the real test is by next season. At the moment, he is left with no choice but to pour everything even if the season is lost for the Dubs. But the story will be entirely different next season when the 25-year-old will need to blend in with Curry, Thompson, and Green. The 6-foot-7 forward will need to understand his role and prove Hardaway's forecast is right.