Let's isolate on Wiggins...

[worldK]

18/5-3-1.5 on 46/37/78 with improved defense and effort.

I actually believed wiggins will average those numbers the final 34 games of the season going forward except the 3 assists(I have him at about 2-2.4)part and probably shoot his career ave of 76% at the line. If he could do that, would it make guys really happy? Or is the assists and .02ft% play make a difference? I ask because I believe that is what wig will average the rest of the season.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

18/5-3-1.5 on 46/37/78 with improved defense and effort.

I actually believed wiggins will average those numbers the final 34 games of the season going forward except the 3 assists(I have him at about 2-2.4)part and probably shoot his career ave of 76% at the line. If he could do that, would it make guys really happy? Or is the assists and .02ft% play make a difference? I ask because I believe that is what wig will average the rest of the season.

To score the basketball with that efficiency, produce in other aspects of the game -- such as rebounding and facilitating, while making his presence known on the defensive end? Yes, I would venture to say that all of us would be more than satisfied with his play.

I don't mean to sound like a jerk when I say this, but I'd like to see a full 82-game campaign with those numbers before I felt confident in the player he was becoming. The reason why is because I've seen Wiggins have impressive 30-game stretches only to return to earth and disappoint. I can even remember a year or two ago when he shot 40+ percent from 3P range post All-Star Break. Clearly, that didn't last, but a full season of that production I laid out would be a legitimate indicator that he's arriving.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Every player has peaks and valleys throughout the season. With Wiggins we just haven't seen a trajectory, when you average it all out, that trends upwards.It's just sort of been running along a fairly flat line since he was a rookie, with some real nice streaks where his shot is falling and others where it's not. The other stuff - rebounding, assisting, etc. - also is fairly flat.

I do think he's a more aware/active defender, which doesn't really show up in the box score.

[Monster]

It's been mentioned on this board but I think we tend to sorta forget or really gloss over the fact that this is the first time in Wiggins career he isn't one of the top scoring options in his career for an entire season.

Rookie season when Martin wasn't playing he was the leading scorer on a team with some pretty poor talent in that area overall.

2nd season leading scorer, Towns was really good and Lavine was good down the stretch but Wiggins was a top option all year.

Last season before Lavine went down all 3 Towns Wiggins and Lavine were putting up Points but Lavine was a nice compliment but he only played a little over half the season. Then Wiggins Towns and even Rubio got a bunch of shots especially when a guy like Rush who didn't score was on the floor.

This year he is playing with Jimmy the best player on the Wolves and clearly the lead dog. Towns is getting his also. Jimmy is a good passer and facilitator for a wing which helps. Teague isn't the Passer that Rubio was but provides some more spacing...Wiggins is not only playing as a 3rd option but the other 2 starters in Teague and Taj are plenty competent offensive players. Even off the bench Crawford is a high usage player. There is simply more competent scoring options at the top of the food chain than ever before during Wiggins time with this franchise.

Anywho the point is Wiggins really is playing a different role than he has most of his career his usage rate is down. We hoped this would lead to more efficiency but it has not yet. It could still come. This isn't an excuse for Wiggins it's something I think worth considering and remember that while he is struggling to some extent he is still contributing to one of the best teams in the league. Like a number of people here have said in recent posts he has had some things trending in the right direction but he needs to prove it and do it over a longer period of time. That's fair. Personally I am looking forward to seeing his growth and I think for some posters here Wiggins has done enough other stuff lately they have moved to a wait and see on him compared to something more along the lines of "ugh Wiggins". :)

[AbeVigodaLive]

It's probably good that Butler is vocal in his praise/expectations for Wiggins. He's definitely not shy about sharing his opinions about the young kids.

But he does have a history of "uneven leadership" in Chicago from multiple sources. He's blunt. Candid. Good. A vet. All those things. And they're not all bad, at all. Personally, I dig Butler. But I hope he's not only picking on certain people just because it's easier to do so.

For example, he's had pointed comments about Wiggins and Towns... but not a guy like Teague. Is that because they have more promise? They have more to work on? It's more obvious? Or, he expects them to take it quietly because they're young?

Because I've seen games where a veteran like Teague hasn't brought energy and heard nothing from Butler.

[Coolbreeze44]

It's probably good that Butler is vocal in his praise/expectations for Wiggins. He's definitely not shy about sharing his opinions about the young kids.

But he does have a history of "uneven leadership" in Chicago from multiple sources. He's blunt. Candid. Good. A vet. All those things. And they're not all bad, at all. Personally, I dig Butler. But I hope he's not only picking on certain people just because it's easier to do so.

For example, he's had pointed comments about Wiggins and Towns... but not a guy like Teague. Is that because they have more promise? They have more to work on? It's more obvious? Or, he expects them to take it quietly because they're young?

Because I've seen games where a veteran like Teague hasn't brought energy and heard nothing from Butler.

Good point.

[Monster]

It's probably good that Butler is vocal in his praise/expectations for Wiggins. He's definitely not shy about sharing his opinions about the young kids.

But he does have a history of "uneven leadership" in Chicago from multiple sources. He's blunt. Candid. Good. A vet. All those things. And they're not all bad, at all. Personally, I dig Butler. But I hope he's not only picking on certain people just because it's easier to do so.

For example, he's had pointed comments about Wiggins and Towns... but not a guy like Teague. Is that because they have more promise? They have more to work on? It's more obvious? Or, he expects them to take it quietly because they're young?

Because I've seen games where a veteran like Teague hasn't brought energy and heard nothing from Butler.

Good point.

Agreed however there have been plenty of time times Butler has said comments that could have been said towards anyone like "Sometimes I'd like it if we would guard somebody". Sometimes we don't include Teague in there because Wiggins and Towns are on the mind not Teague which makes sense. Also Teague has done this thing before going to the playoffs every year and even played on good defensive teams. Towns Wiggins have not. That doesn't mean he is excempt from being criticized but yeah.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

Yeah, Teague is a bit frustrating because I've seen him "bring it" on defense and he does a very good job. But his focus wanes. Given the caliber of his backup and the other weapons he has around him to share the load, you would think he could go all out as opposed to, say, a Damian Lillard, who has to find moments to conserve energy in order to carry the load offensively and play big minutes.

All the more reason why we should all be jumping on the Tyus bandwagon and hope he keeps improving....

[thedoper]

I think Jimmy's comments are simply about the fact that Wiggins could have been a world class athlete in anything he did. Jimmy prides himself on training with NFL guys in the off-season and on recognizing pure athletic ability. From that standpoint I agree with him, and would add Wiggins is the most talented player based purely on athleticism I have ever seen on the wolves. Towns has more basketball talent, his fundamental skills on offense are impressive. But Wiggins is a unique athlete in the whole league.

[Lipoli390]

It's probably good that Butler is vocal in his praise/expectations for Wiggins. He's definitely not shy about sharing his opinions about the young kids.

But he does have a history of "uneven leadership" in Chicago from multiple sources. He's blunt. Candid. Good. A vet. All those things. And they're not all bad, at all. Personally, I dig Butler. But I hope he's not only picking on certain people just because it's easier to do so.

For example, he's had pointed comments about Wiggins and Towns... but not a guy like Teague. Is that because they have more promise? They have more to work on? It's more obvious? Or, he expects them to take it quietly because they're young?

Because I've seen games where a veteran like Teague hasn't brought energy and heard nothing from Butler.

Good point, Abe. My sense is that Butler understands that, as a 29-year old vet, Teague is what he is and won't develop into anything else. Teague has a long-standing reputation as a guy who isn't always fully engaged on the court, especially on the defensive end. Butler also understands that the fate of this team turns far more on the play of KAT and Wiggins than on the play of Jeff Teague. So to me it makes sense that Jimmy has singled out both Wiggins and KAT this season.

I'm one of those guys Monster referred to as having moved from "ugh Wiggins" to "wait and see" based on the non-box score improvement we've seen from Wiggins so far this season. Actually, four things continue to give me hope for Wiggins: (1) his defensive improvement so far this season, (2) his youth coupled with his still tremendous talent, (3) the continued confidence Thibs apparently has in him, and (4) the pushing, prodding and coaching/mentoring he's going to continue to get from Butler both verbally and by example on the court. For those reasons I feel much better about having Wiggins here going into a max deal than I do about having Teague for two more guaranteed $19 million dollar seasons.