Andrew Wiggins (Photo : Kevin C. Cox | Getty Images Sport)
The voting for the NBA All-Star starters has begun and it's also time to start the discussion on potential rosters.
One player who is speculated to become a first time all-star is Andrew Wiggins of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Last season's Rookie of the Year awardee continued his progression, but would it be enough to earn him a slot?
In an article by SI.com, Wiggins was mentioned as a candidate to debut, but sadly, they labeled him as "no chance." Because of the congestion of spots for the wing and the possibility of Kobe Bryant being voted in, Wiggins might be snubbed. The 'three' spot is most probably reserved for former MVP Kevin Durant and the Spurs' Kawhi Leonard.
Speaking of Durant, he is probably the standard that Wiggins should emulate. ESPN Insiders Chad Ford and Kevin Pelton recently projected Wiggins as a player and they saw his best case scenario as Kevin Durant, but he may also become Carmelo Anthony.
Scoring is already a given, but Ford says Wiggins has good defensive tools. However, this season saw him regress, even as he took the reins of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"Wiggins is an elite athlete and he's finding ways to score, Ford said. "But he's not very efficient, his 3-point shot has regressed this year, he's not nearly as effective on the defensive end as we thought he'd be and overall he looks a bit one-dimensional."
By "one-dimensional" that seems to connote Carmelo Anthony. While he was one of the best players and a rival to LeBron James, Ford says "Melo plateaued as a player -- he's a heck of a scorer, but if Wiggins doesn't round out his game more than Anthony did, that will be a disappointment."
In contrast, Kevin Pelton noted that Kevin Durant's game continued to evolve. "Starting with elite scoring, Durant added elite rebounding, developed his playmaking and ultimately became an above-average defender," Pelton decalred. "Those are the things I'd want Wiggins to work on, along with continuing to improve his 3-point shooting."
So what will Andrew Wiggins be: MVP or Scoring leader? Where will he take the Timberwolves: Fringe Playoff team or NBA Finals?
