Andrew Wiggins was motivated this summer by his poor performance in the playoffs as the Heat were swept by Cleveland, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. After shooting 16-of-43 in the series with 11 turnovers, Wiggins was determined to prove that he’s still capable of playing winning basketball, like he did when he helped Golden State capture the NBA title in 2022.
“That definitely wasn’t one of my better series and I did a lot more of everything (on the court) this summer,” he said. “I did everything I did before and more to get to the next level.”
After being traded to the Heat at last year’s deadline, Wiggins has a greater comfort level following a full offseason. His family has joined him in Miami, and he’s used to playing in coach Erik Spoelstra’s system. Wiggins’ scoring average has declined to 14.5 PPG through the first four games of the season, but he attributes that to being on the court with so many other talented players.
“I play within the flow of the offense, play within the flow of the game, and do whatever I can to help the team win,” he said. “We’ve got Tyler (Herro), an All-Star. You’ve got (Norman Powell), who had a hell of a season last year. Should have been an All-Star last year. But he’s heading towards it this year. We’ve got Bam (Adebayo). Bam’s another All-Star. So we’ve got a lot of guys that can do a lot of special things.”
There’s more from Miami:
- Davion Mitchell, who was acquired in the same trade as Wiggins, has brought stability at point guard, Jackson adds in the same story. He’s among the league’s top 12 players in assists-to-turnovers ratio, and his 33 assists in four games are the most by a Heat player to start a season in nearly three decades. “How do you not love playing with a guy like that who wants to get you the ball?” Spoelstra said. “He wants to make sure that it’s delivered on time, on target. And that becomes contagious.”
- Powell is listed as doubtful for Thursday’s game in San Antonio after sitting out Tuesday with right groin soreness. Tyler Herro is still recovering from ankle surgery, but Miami’s up-tempo offense has remained effective without its most explosive scorers, producing 144 points in a win over Charlotte, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “This is probably my first year where we’ve been emphasizing playing this fast, and we’re playing the right way,” Adebayo said. “That’s what I love about it. We’re sharing the game and everybody feels involved.”
- Jaime Jaquez Jr. is also enjoying the new offensive approach and is thriving as an on-ball creator with the bench unit, Chiang states in a separate story. Averaging 18.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, Jaquez’s numbers are up across the board after a disappointing second season. “Getting downhill, we’ve got a lot of guys cutting and moving,” he said. “It creates a lot of space and a lot of opportunity for myself to get into the paint and make a play. Really, this style, it’s been a lot of fun. And that’s the most important thing, we’re having a good time.”