Minnesota Sports Forum

Maybe I'm just a fan of big wing combos and want our own. The versatility it gives us on offense and defense is just too much to like.

Wade/LeBron
Butler/Deng
George/Granger

Good examples.

Unless we somehow find someone who can play SG better than Wiggins, it still make the most sense to have him there imo. Someone with Bazz's physicality (or similar) works very well with Wiggins at SG as we've already seen. Pairing him with someone smaller hasn't worked.

When you force the other team to put their physically stronger wing defender on someone other than Wiggins it poses the bigger match up problem. If we find a great SG, then fine. I already expect to see Wiggins/Lavine paired up a bit at the wing too eventually.

I would love to keep wiggins at sg as well. He can guard sg's well and has a physical advantage over them on offense.

The ideal sf to pair him with is a guy who can shoot, handle the ball a bit and would be a mismatch for opposing sg as well that they cant let their sg guard him while their sf guard wiggins.

A guy in mind is danillo gallinari. Its a pipe dream but he would be ideal as he can also slide to pf when a small ball matchup is needed. Someone with his game is one that woukd be ideal to pair wiggins with at the sf/ sg spot.

Yeah, I think too big of a deal is made over Wiggins' ideal position. I agree that this year he has been more effective as a 2, but over the long run, if he develops his handles, outside shooting, and physical strength, he should be fine at either wing.

Also, I love the sheer variety of roles he's had to play this season. I think it's great for his development. Think about all the different situations he's been put in. He started the season in a complementary role as our starting 3 and then eventually was in a featured role as our starting 2. Now he's back in a complementary role as our starting 3 again, having to figure out how to get himself involved and playing with other good players. He has guarded the opponent's best wing from almost day 1. And most importantly, he's played more than 200 minutes more than any other Timberwolf this season!

So I'm not going to get too uptight about what position Wiggins plays this season or how many touches he gets in a specific game from here on out. The guy has already run the gamut of individual experiences and now he's experiencing how it's like to actually win!

We can call Wiggins whatever we want but the bottom line will be who the opposition decides to put on him. It will be up to the wing player playing next to him to take advantage of, or help create, a mismatch for himself or Andrew.

phenom's_revenge wrote:We can call Wiggins whatever we want but the bottom line will be who the opposition decides to put on him. It will be up to the wing player playing next to him to take advantage of, or help create, a mismatch for himself or Andrew.

Sure, that's true, but I think most of us think Muhammad or Johnson are good enough to exploit a SG defending them, assuming that's what you're getting at.

Camden wrote:

phenom's_revenge wrote:We can call Wiggins whatever we want but the bottom line will be who the opposition decides to put on him. It will be up to the wing player playing next to him to take advantage of, or help create, a mismatch for himself or Andrew.

Sure, that's true, but I think most of us think Muhammad or Johnson are good enough to exploit a SG defending them, assuming that's what you're getting at.

Yep and that is what it comes down to.

Camden wrote:
Sure, that's true, but I think most of us think Muhammad or Johnson are good enough to exploit a SG defending them, assuming that's what you're getting at.

Exactly. Isn't that exactly what we've been talking about? Wiggins and the wing he's paired with. Of course he will be FINE at either position that isn't the issue at all lol. It's all about the match up. If you pair him with a smaller wing, he will always go against the stronger defender. I don't understand why this is so hard to understand lol. It's like the Pacers with Paul George. He can play both spots, but if you could pair him with a good strong SF it creates more of a match up problem compared to pairing him with a good SG who is smaller.

In the long run Wiggins will both defend the other team's best wing and be guarded by their best wing. Our other wing won't have an effect on that equation because Wiggins will have to be defended first and foremost. I don't see a situation where a team says the guy next to Wiggins is enough of a hassle to give Wiggins the easier matchup. Nobody was sticking their best defender on Wade over Lebron even when Wade was a major mismatch with his post game and driving ability as a SG. That's like saying you would guard Pippen over Jordan on nights when Pippen had a matchup advantage over the secondary defender. You defend the best player regardless of the other matchups.

khans2k5 wrote:In the long run Wiggins will both defend the other team's best wing and be guarded by their best wing. Our other wing won't have an effect on that equation because Wiggins will have to be defended first and foremost. I don't see a situation where a team says the guy next to Wiggins is enough of a hassle to give Wiggins the easier matchup. Nobody was sticking their best defender on Wade over Lebron even when Wade was a major mismatch with his post game and driving ability as a SG. That's like saying you would guard Pippen over Jordan on nights when Pippen had a matchup advantage over the secondary defender. You defend the best player regardless of the other matchups.

Good points. I get what they are saying making Wiggins a big SG and having a SF with size giving you a size advantage over the other teams SG. I understand their point there. My point is a backcourt of Rubio and Russell is a terrific one because both players have incredible vision and are great passers. Russell gives us range that Muhammed or Johnson wouldn't give.

Once Wiggins body matures he will be almost impossible to handle. Right now he only has his freakish athleticism. Wait until he adds power to his game. The guy is our franchise.