Chris Mullin explains what Andrew Wiggins needs to do with Klay Thompson out
Mullin explains what Wiggins needs to bring with Klay out originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Andrew Wiggins was going into the perfect situation this season. He no longer had to be the No. 1 option on offense, he didn’t even have to be the No. 2.
With a healthy Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, Wiggins could be the perfect third option for the Warriors. He could be a slasher and find himself wide open on 3-pointers. But everything changes with Thompson out for the season after tearing his Achilles on Wednesday.
“His mindset needs to be, play my game,” Chris Mullin said on NBC Sports Bay Area when reacting to the Thompson news. “We’ve seen him go on scoring binges in Minnesota, right? He played well here last year, he did.
“Just be consistent. They’re probably going to need 20, 22 a game. He’s more than capable of doing that.”
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Wiggins was averaging 22.4 points per game with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season before being traded to the Warriors. He was serving as the T-Wolves’ second option behind Karl-Anthony Towns and was more than capable of scoring in bunches. The 6-foot-7 wing has averaged over 20 points per game three times in his six-year career.
After being traded to the Warriors, Wiggins averaged 19.4 points per game. He also improved 2-point field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage. And that was without Curry for the most part.
Mullin has been a fan of the Wiggins trade, and that doesn’t change with Thompson’s injury.
“I still think he’s gonna be fine,” Mullin said. “I like Andrew Wiggins. He has No. 1 talent. His role changes a little bit, but you don’t ask him to do anything that he’s not capable of.
“There’s not a whole of guys with more talent than him in the league on the wing. There’s not. He’s a No. 1 pick and he plays really well.”
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Fair or not, people will expect Wiggins to somewhat replace Thompson. A combination of Wiggins and Kelly Oubre will have to be Golden State’s secondary scoring options behind Curry, and that’s not bad considering losing a player as great as Thompson.
“Now it’s just more being consistent each and every night,” Mullin said. “I still think he’ll get good looks from 3, he’ll play in transition, be a really good defender — he can guard, he can guard.
“He’s up to the task.”
