“People will be leaving, getting off the court, and he's still shooting”- Former NBA champion Andrew Wiggins reveals Steph Curry’s intense training regime, feels amazed by his dedication, calls him a ‘hard worker’
Former number one overall pick Andrew Wiggins is coming off easily the most successful season of his career. Wiggins played a key role as a versatile 3-and-D scoring wing in the Golden State Warriors' title run. He was also selected to be an All-Star starter earlier in the year.
Wiggins' success can be attributed to the Warriors’ elite organizational culture, which often makes use of misused and underappreciated talents. However, the chance to play with four-time NBA Champion and two-time MVP Stephen Curry has certainly had an impact on Wiggins.
Recently, Andrew Wiggins made an appearance on an episode of "The VC Show" with Vince Carter and Ros Gold-Onwude. He was asked about the things he learnt from Stephen Curry, the greatest shooter of all time. He responded by saying:
“What’s something I learnt? Repetition, like obviously he's a God-gifted talent, but every day people will be leaving, getting off the court, and he's still shooting. That's the best shooter in the world. He's still there shooting, shooting, shooting, and just how fast he shoots and the moves that go into his shooting."
Wiggins continued:
“You see him running around in the game and hit all these shots and you're amazed, but he practices this. He’ll be running full speed, stop on a dime, and shoot. He works hard. That's why I have such great respect for him because he is a hard worker.”
It’s no surprise for most NBA fans to hear about Stephen Curry’s work ethic. There have been countless videos of Curry’s intense training regimes where he makes difficult shots look easy. It obviously takes a certain level of dedication to become the NBA’s all-time leader in 3 point makes. For Andrew Wiggins, to be able to experience Curry’s work ethic and dedication on a daily basis, is something special.
It’s clear Stephen Curry’s shooting has rubbed off on Andrew Wiggins. He has seen a noticeable improvement in his 3-point shooting with the Warriors. He shot 38.0 percent from three over 71 games in the 2020-2021 season and 39.3 percent in 73 games last season.
Can Andrew Wiggins make another All-Star team in 2022?
As impressive as his first NBA All-Star selection was, it will be difficult for him to make another All-Star appearance soon. Many factors went into Wiggins' surprise All-Star selection in 2022. In particular, Wiggins received a huge vote boost from a tweet from K-pop star “BamBam”. So even though Wiggins finished fifth and sixth among Western Conference frontcourt players in player and media voting, he still finished top three overall.
Injuries to other top Western Conference frontcourt stars also worked in Andrew Wiggins’ favor. Many of the star forwards in the West were injured. This includes Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis and Paul George. It is likely one of these players takes Wiggins’ spot in 2023.
Nonetheless, Andrew Wiggins has made it clear that he would like to be an All-Star again next season as well as an All-NBA defensive team member. He said:
"Love to be an All-star again. Obviously, a championship is the main goal. One thing I'm really going to strive for this upcoming season is being on the defensive team. That's a big goal of mine."
It will be tough to achieve this goal, but it’s good to see Andrew Wiggins still hungry and motivated after his first NBA Championship.