Report: Andrew Wiggins unhappy with his 'third option' role on the team
What's the story?
Minnesota Timberwolves small forward Andrew Wiggins is reportedly unhappy with his role as being the Wolves’ third offensive option.
In case you didn't know...
On Friday night, Jimmy Butler suffered a non-contact injury in the third quarter of Minnesota’s 120-102 loss to the Houston Rockets. Later it was announced that an MRI showed that Jimmy Butler has a ‘meniscal injury’ to the right knee.
The heart of the matter...
The 23-year old from the University of Kansas is unhappy with his role in the Minnesota Timberwolves as being the third offensive option behind guard Jimmy Butler and center Karl-Anthony Towns. On Wednesday, Darren Wolfsen of KSTP (via 1500 ESPN Twin Cities’ Derek James) said Wiggins has “whispered to teammates” about being discontent with his place within the squad.
The inopportune meniscal injury to Butler has given the 2014 No. 1 draft pick to take a more expansive role alongside Karl-Anthony Towns. He is averaging 20 points for his 5 March appearances which his the highest mark of any month this season.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau and point guard Jeff Teague praised Wiggins’ performance after the Wolves 109-103 victory over the reigning champs and said he must maintain that level, per Jerr Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
“He’s got to do it,” Thibodeau said. “It’s in him. I see it. I know he sees it. I think he’s played for the most part really well since the All-Star break. I want more. I want more aggressiveness. I want him to keep attacking. When he gets going downhill, he’s almost impossible to stop.”
Teague further added: “We tell him to quit settling, man, and get to the basket. He’s one of the best athletes in the NBA, and he did that tonight and Karl was great down the stretch.”
What's next?
After losing 3 in a row, the Wolves have now won their last 2 and would like to continue to rack up wins as they play the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
Author's take
The Timberwolves would surely be needing their three stars to be on the same stage during this stretch as they battle for a playoff spot in the highly competitive Western Conference standings.