Feb 8, 2017
Wiggins on right path to become DeRozan-level talent
DeMar DeRozan and the Toronto Raptors visit Canadian stud Andrew Wiggins and his Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. With Wiggins playing his third year in the NBA, let's take a look at how DeRozan and Wiggins compare over the early stretches of their careers.
TSN.ca Staff
DeMar DeRozan and the Toronto Raptors visit Canadian stud Andrew Wiggins and his Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.
When the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Wiggins first overall in the 2014 NBA Draft, many experts had lofty expectations for the Toronto native. Some even felt he was the Canadian version of LeBron James and would dominate the Association for years to come. With a 6-8, 200 pound frame and an advanced skill set with room still to improve, Wiggins was the most talked about prospect since Greg Oden in 2007.
Over the first three years of his career, Wiggins has been a productive, above average player, but it's safe to say he's no LeBron, and never will be. He might not even be the best player on his team as Karl-Anthony Towns has become one of the most dynamic centres in the league and the main man in Minnesota.
However, just because he will never get to James' status, all is not lost for Wiggins. A player like three-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan might be more of a realistic possibility for the 21-year-old.
When the Raps selected DeRozan ninth overall in the 2009 draft, they were hopeful he'd turn into a solid starter down the road, but weren't holding their breath. The Memphis Grizzlies, Timberwolves and New York Knicks must have not been sold on the USC product as they selected Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn and Jordan Hill second, sixth and eighth overall respectively.
In 2016-17, DeRozan is headed to his third All-Star Game and is sixth in the NBA in scoring with 27.8 points per game. Some probably thought he was capable of being this good one day, but it definitely wasn't a consensus.
If you take a glance at the first three years of Wiggins and DeRozan's career, it would appear the Wolves small forward is well on his way to one day reaching DeRozan’s level.
DeMar DeRozan's First Three Years
| G | GS | MPG | PPG | APG | RPG | FG % | 3P % | FT % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-10 | 77 | 65 | 21.6 | 8.6 | 0.7 | 2.9 | .498 | .250 | 0.763 |
| 2010-11 | 82 | 82 | 34.8 | 17.2 | 1.8 | 3.8 | .467 | .096 | 0.813 |
| 2011-12 | 63 | 63 | 35 | 16.7 | 2 | 3.3 | .422 | .261 | 0.810 |
Andrew Wiggins' First Three Years
| G | GS | MPG | PPG | APG | RPG | FG % | 3P % | FT % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 82 | 82 | 36.2 | 16.9 | 2.1 | 4.6 | .437 | .310 | .760 |
| 2015-16 | 81 | 81 | 35.1 | 20.7 | 2 | 3.6 | .459 | .300 | .761 |
| 2016-17 | 52 | 52 | 37.2 | 22.2 | 2.4 | 4.1 | .450 | .343 | .745 |
Overall, Wiggins' numbers are better than DeRozan's over the first three years.
When the Cavaliers traded Wiggins to the Timberwolves in the summer of 2014, the Canadian didn't have a whole lot to play with in Minnesota. Kevin Love was gone and the Wolves were in tough in the very competitive Western Conference. As a result, Wiggins logged a ton of minutes for a rookie, 15 more minutes per game than DeRozan's rookie campaign in 2009-10 when the Raptors were competitive, narrowly missing the playoffs. For his efforts, Wiggins was named Rookie of the Year in 2015.
Wiggins has seen his point averages increase over the past two seasons, and is currently scoring 5.5 more points than what DeRozan was putting up in his third year of NBA ball. However, the Canadian has shot the ball a lot more than DeRozan. Wiggins has averaged 15.7 field goal attempts so far in his career while DeRozan shot 11.6 times per game over a similar time frame.
The Kansas product may be scoring more, but could do a better job on the boards as he sits 26th in the league in rebounds per game among small forwards. DeRozan, on the other hand, is fifth among shooting guards this season and finished 13th during his third year in 2011-12.
Another interesting stat to look at is Player Efficiency Rating, created by ESPN's John Hollinger. The stat subtracts a player's negative accomplishments from the positive ones to find a per-minute rating of a player's performance, according to BasketballReference.com.
This season Wiggins is ranked 120th in the league with a 15.45 rating while DeRozan ranked 220th with a 12.87 rating in 2011-12.
It's still early, and a lot can change, but it would appear Wiggins is on the path to become a DeRozan type talent in the next few years. He could even be better when it's all said and done.