Aaron Wiggins shows improved offense with more minutes
3 mins read

Aaron Wiggins shows improved offense with more minutes

Aaron Wiggins secured his long-term future with the Oklahoma City Thunder last July, signing a five-year, $45 million extension with a declining annual cap hit. The team-friendly terms and his past production ensured a low-risk deal, but Wiggins’ gradual decline in minutes since his rookie year in 2021-22 inspired questions about his role on the current roster.

Last year Wiggins played more than 20 minutes in 17 games and less than 10 minutes in 14 games — not exactly indicative of a rotation player. He started four of 88 total games, including the playoffs, after 49 combined starts in his first two seasons.

The conditions have changed. Mark Daigneault rotated the fifth starting spot between Wiggins, Cason Wallace and Isaiah Joe through the first 10 Thunder games this year, with an extra spot opening up this week due to Chet Holmgren’s right hip fracture. Wiggins has already matched last season’s total with four starts, playing exactly 24 minutes per game in those starts, and averaging 20 minutes, 36 seconds in eight reserve games. His increased playing time has helped the Thunder average a difference of +12.67 pointsthe best through 12 games in NBA history.

An optimal side effect: The fourth-year wing has experienced career-high averages in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per game.

Statistical

2023-24 Wiggins

2024-25 Wiggins

Points per game

6.9

10.2

Rebounds per game

2.4

4.1

Assists per game

1.1

2.3

2-point percentage

59.8%

50.0%

3-point percentage

49.2%

45.2%

Box Plus-Minus

0.7

2.7

Wiggins has drained 19 of his 42 (45.2%) triples this season, raising his career 3-point percentage to 40.0% on 428 attempts. His 31 wide open and nine open attempts prove that he has maintained excellent shot selectivity from his breakout 2023-24 campaign. Wiggins is attempting more than twice as many threes per game and nearly three more triples per 100 possessions compared to last year, a testament to his growth and the Thunder finding him for constant good looks.

The 25-year-old Wiggins has improved significantly despite less efficiency inside the arc. He’s shooting a career-high 75.0% on 28 rim attempts but is 9-for-32 on 2-point attempts beyond three feet and has missed all six 2-point attempts from outside the paint this season. Wiggins could theoretically take fewer layups to improve his overall shooting efficiency, but the early sample size indicates his struggles have come from being 2-for-13 on 2-pointers with less than seven seconds left left on the shot clock.

To start the season, Oklahoma City has recorded one +15.5 net rating in Wiggins’ lineups — about 6.5 points per 100 possessions better than with him off the court.

The Thunder play the Phoenix Suns tonight at 7pm CST, their first of four NBA Cup group stage games.

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