Andrew Wiggins named the 2014-15 KIA NBA Rookie of the Year
The 2014 NBA Draft’s number one overall pick Andrew Wiggins was named the 2014-15 KIA NBA Rookie of the Year, the NBA announced on Thursday afternoon (local time). Wiggins became the first Canadian and second non-American to win this award. The Minnesota forward also became the first in franchise history to be named Rookie of the Year.
The voting was done among a crowd of 130 sportswriters and broadcasters across the United States and Canada. Each player received 5 points for first-place votes, three points for a second-place vote and finally one point for a third-place vote. Wiggins received 110 of the 130 first place votes, totalling 604 points. Chicago Bulls’ rookie Nikola Mirotic finished second having 335 points (14 first place votes).
Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck provided the voting results:
Andrew Wiggins named 2014-15 Rookie of the Year. Nikola Mirotic finished second, Nerlens Noel third. Full results: pic.twitter.com/CW2N5FRusX
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) April 30, 2015
Unlike many number one overall picks, Wiggins was traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Minnesota Timberwolves, just a month after signing his rookie contract. The rookie from Kansas averaged 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 82 starts in the regular season. He proved his growth by averaging an impressive 23.3 points during the month of April. Despite losing Kevin Love in the trade with the Cavaliers, the Timberwolves have built a young core group around Wiggins including Ricky Rubio, Zach Lavine, Gorgui Deing.
If you’ve missed the rookie weave his magic during the season, here the top 10 plays of Wiggins’ rookie season: