Andrew Wiggins’ preseason buzz has vanished fast.
The veteran forward looked sharp in exhibition play for Miami, but the regular season has been a different story. Through nine games, Wiggins has been searching for answers, and even he isn’t pretending otherwise.
“I just got to figure a couple things out,” Wiggins said after Thursday’s loss at Golden State. “Just keep focusing on the little things and everything else will fall in line after that.”
According to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, Wiggins is sitting at career lows in nearly every major statistical category. The on/off numbers tell the same story: Miami is minus-14.3 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor and plus-2.1 when he sits. Defensively, a spot where Wiggins can usually swing a game when he’s right, he has been a net negative so far.
Erik Spoelstra didn’t sugarcoat what he wants to see from him.
“It’s making everybody notice you,” Spoelstra said of how Wiggins can make more of a defensive impact. “Put your fingerprints on the game, every single possession.
I don’t need to look at a statistic. Your teammates don’t need to.
The coaching staff doesn’t need to in this regard. You can see it.
You can feel it. He’s capable of doing that.
“When he’s at his very best version, he is so impactful defensively. Sometimes you go through these kinds of stretches.
It’s a very talented, skilled, offensive league. But that’s where he is right now.
He has the fortitude to just keep on plugging away. We need him, obviously, on both ends of the court.
And he’ll get there.”
Miami’s rough start has gone beyond one player. The Heat are 3-6, their worst opening in a decade, and Spoelstra said he didn’t see this coming after camp and preseason.
“There was nothing coming out of training camp or preseason that would have shown this start,” Spoelstra said. “We thought we were building all the right habits, and the reality is this league can be humbling.
I throw myself in there as well. We have a lot of guys with resumes, but resumes and a piece of paper don’t defend.
It has to be actions. It has to be five people working together where you’re really putting your effort out there and on the same page.”
Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, the team’s major offseason addition, declined to speak to the media after Thursday’s lopsided defeat, Chiang adds.
Elsewhere in the Southeast, Trae Young got a very different kind of night in Atlanta. The Wizards point guard returned to face the Hawks for the first time as an opponent and finished with 23 points and 10 assists, though he also coughed it up eight times in Washington’s loss.
Young spent his first seven-and-a-half seasons with Atlanta, and according to Bill Trocchi of The Associated Press, the reception from the home crowd was a “muted response.” Young called the night “different.”
“I don’t think it’ll feel like this every time (I play in Atlanta), but definitely tonight,” Young said. “Just even, even the day we played them (Wednesday), I knew today was coming next.
I’m not gonna get a first all the time. You know what I’m saying?
So that’s why I’ll probably I’m gonna have these feelings.”
Atlanta also had a little extra buzz around rookie guard Kingston Flemings, who drew strong praise from Onyeka Okongwu and Dyson Daniels. Okongwu called Flemings the “fastest player I’ve ever played with,” while Daniels backed that up.
“Me and O were actually talking about that last week,” Daniels said. “(Flemings) has been the fastest guy that we’ve ever seen.
When he takes off, he is hard to keep in front. I’ve had to deal with that in training camp a lot.”
Flemings, Daniels and Okongwu all helped the Hawks win their third straight game on Friday. Flemings, the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, has recently moved into the starting lineup in place of CJ McCollum.
In Other News...
Nets Still Have A Rookie Availability Problem After Hawks Win
Brooklyns rookie rotation remains in flux as the Nets head into their next game against Dallas, with two young players still unavailable after the Hawks game left the broader picture unchanged. Egor Demin is dealing with a right leg bone bruise, while the team is also managing Mikel Brown Jr. carefully as it tries to balance development with availability early in the season.
The short-term outlook is still a waiting game. Demin will be reevaluated after the Mavericks matchup, and Browns workload remains limited as Brooklyn continues to ease him along, leaving the Nets to piece together their backcourt depth for now. Both players are viewed as possible options for the next game against New Orleans, but for the moment the rookie availability issue is still very much in play. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Johnson Could Ease A Hawks Problem That's Getting Harder To Ignore
Jalen Johnson is trending toward a return just when the Hawks need help most in the frontcourt. He is listed as probable for Atlantas game against Brooklyn after missing three games with a left ankle sprain, and his presence would give the Hawks a much-needed boost as they try to steady a rotation that has been thinned by injuries.
Atlanta has been patching together minutes inside, with Jock Landale still sidelined and Asa Newell facing an extended absence, which has pushed rookie Zuby Ejiofor into a bigger role. Johnsons availability does not solve everything, but it at least gives the Hawks a chance to get back some size, versatility and stability in a stretch where that has become harder to find. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Rotation Debate Just Got More Complicated After Trae Youngs Return
Trae Youngs return has already complicated the Hawks rotation choices, and the NBA Cup game against the Wizards only added another layer to the discussion. Atlanta got useful minutes from a few different places, with Dyson Daniels doing a little of everything, Onyeka Okongwu providing a double-double, and the lineup looking anything but settled as the team tried to sort out how its pieces fit together.
Luguentz Dorts night as a starting power forward stood out as one of the more unusual developments, while CJ McCollum had a rough offensive showing off the bench and Newell was unavailable because of an ankle injury. The Hawks still found a way to lean on defense and timely plays in the closing stretch, but the bigger question now is how this rotation looks once everyone is available and the coaching staff has to make even tougher calls. [Read more 🡒]