Wiggins has been a tower of strength in these playoffs. -AL

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Mellow Andrew Wiggins has never been more expressive than at NBA Finals
Even Wiggins has surprised himself by his demonstrative behavior this
postseason whether it's him staring down his opponents or arguing his
case to an official.
>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 10: Golden State Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins
(22) looks for an outlet pass against Boston Celtics’ Robert Williams
(44) in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden in
Boston, Mass., Friday, June 10, 2022. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
>BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 10: Golden State Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins
(22) looks for an outlet pass against Boston Celtics’ Robert Williams
(44) in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of the NBA Finals at TD Garden in
Boston, Mass., Friday, June 10, 2022. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: June 12, 2022 at 3:45 p.m. | UPDATED: June 12, 2022 at 3:45 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/06/12/mellow-andrew-wiggins-has-never-been-more-expressive-than-at-nba-finals/

SAN FRANCISCO – Before the Western Conference semifinals, Stephen Curry
urged mellow Andrew Wiggins to show more emotions on the court and get a
technical foul.

It’s been about a month since Curry jokingly implored Wiggins to yell at
a referee, and Wiggins still hasn’t been assessed a tech. But the
mild-mannered All-Star has never been more expressive on the court.

Even Wiggins has surprised himself by his demonstrative behavior this
postseason from staring down his opponents to occasionally arguing his
case to an official.

“It’s the moment. It’s a big stage, a lot at stake every game,” Wiggins
said Sunday after practice at Chase Center. “Everything is just so intense.”

Wiggins knew what people had been saying about him when he was traded to
the Warriors during the 2019-20 season.

The former No. 1 overall pick was a bust, didn’t play hard and was an
overpaid and ineffective high-volume shooter.

Whether those critiques were fair or not at the time doesn’t matter
anymore. Wiggins has shed the reputation he earned in Minnesota as he’s
excelled this postseason with the Warriors as he’s played with even more
fire.

After having only one double-double during the entire regular season,
Wiggins has recorded five this postseason. His most recent was
overshadowed by Curry, who dropped 43 points and snagged 10 rebounds in
the Warriors’ Game 4 win over the Celtics Friday night. But Wiggins was
also impressive and noteworthy as he shot 41.2% from the field for 17
points while grabbing a career-high 16 boards — 13 of which on the
defensive glass. He did this while being the primary defender on Celtics
star Jayson Tatum.

“He’s a very mild-mannered guy, but he’s taken a leap in these playoffs
in terms of his impact on the game defensively, on the glass,” coach
Steve Kerr said. “Because the games are obviously so meaningful, there’s
more emotion from him and from everybody.”

Wiggins has enjoyed proving some of his biggest doubters wrong this
postseason.

“Even when I used to score a lot in Minnesota or do anything special,
it’s like, you did that but you’re losing, so no one really cares,”
Wiggins recalled. “But doing it on a winning team, it’s appreciated more.”

Wiggins admitted he was bothered by the perception fans and media had of
him. But instead of letting those negative feelings festered, he used
the narrative around him in a motivational way.

“I always just stayed true to myself and do what I do,” he said. And
that’s worked.

But with the Warriors tied 2-2 and Curry carrying most of the load up to
this point, Golden State will need more out of players like Wiggins to
try to offset some of the toll Curry has taken.

Wiggins needs to continue to bring his infectious energy the rest of the
way and find ways to impact the game outside of scoring.

“We have a lot of guys that can do a lot of things on the court, whether
score, pass, create. So I’m just trying to do everything I can to be on
the floor and be effective,” he said.