Most people were skeptical when the Golden State Warriors flipped Andrew Wiggins for D'Angelo Russell. If anything, they expected them to trade their first-round picks to land an All-Star and maybe even move Wiggins again.
But Wiggins has become an integral part of Steve Kerr's team. He no longer has the pressure of being the go-to guy in the offensive end, and he's made great strides as a defender, taking that aspect of his game to a whole new level.
So, even if some people still give Wiggins a hard time for the early struggles in his career, Shaquille O'Neal believes he could be the X-Factor that could propel the Dubs past the Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Andrew Wiggins Will Be Key For The Warriors, Says Shaquille O'Neal
“He’s going to be very important,” Shaq said. “Not only will he have to defend possibly the best player, they also need him to score. When you’re on a great team and you got to focus on a lot of other players, there would be a lot of opportunities. We don’t need you to hit all the shots, but we need you to hit timely shots and important shots. Andrew Wiggins has been playing fabulous, I’ve never seen him play like this at all. I think this is the best team, the best fit for him.”
Wiggins is playing elite defense, and he sure bothered Jayson Tatum a lot in Game 1. If he can keep that defensive production up and the supporting cast steps up offensively, then the Dubs will be in a prime position to take the trophy home.
Also, he's set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. So, beyond the championship, he'll have plenty of extra motivation to prove his worth and silence the critics once and for all.