NBA News: Draymond Green lavishes praise on Andrew Wiggins, compares him to former Warriors star

The Golden State Warriors have been experiencing a performance slump lately, suffering four consecutive losses that have turned their once-impressive 12-3 record into a more concerning 12-7. This recent downturn has sparked questions about their prospects for the rest of the 2024-25 NBA season. However, amid these struggles, one bright spot has been the strong performance of Andrew Wiggins, something his teammate Draymond Green recently highlighted.

“Wiggs is actually one of those talents that you don’t come around often,” Green said on The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis. “It’s a matter of if he’s being aggressive or not. All year, he’s been super aggressive, and when Wiggs is super aggressive, there’s not many people that can stop him.”

Davis echoed Green’s sentiments, drawing a comparison to another Warriors great. “He reminds me of someone like Jason Richardson, right?” Davis said. “It’s like when J Rich used to get hot. It could be eight games in a row because of the way he play, it’s like ‘oh (expletive) this dude is wide open every time!’” Green immediately agreed, adding: “Well, he’s also a lot like Jason Richardson. He’s gonna guard the other team’s best wing.”

Davis continued to praise Wiggins: “Quiet assassin, man. He’s so quiet but deadly. Shout out to Wiggs, man. I love the way he’s playing.” Green wrapped up the discussion with more praise for his teammate: “Wiggs is playing great, man. We need him to keep it up.”

Golden State Warriors Forward Draymond Green (23), Golden State Warriors Guard Stephen Curry (30) and Golden State Warriors Forward Andrew Wiggins (22) reacts to a foul call that was overturned during a NBA, Basketball Herren, USA game between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers on November 28, 2021 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA.

Green and Davis know what they’re talking about

The comparison between Andrew Wiggins and Jason Richardson carries significant weight, especially coming from Draymond Green and Baron Davis. Both players have extensive professional basketball experience and are familiar with the players involved in the comparison.

Green has been teammates with Wiggins for the past four years, ever since the latter was traded to the Golden State Warriors from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Davis, on the other hand, played alongside Jason Richardson in Golden State from 2005 to 2007.

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Wiggins’ season

After a challenging 2023-24 season, which many considered one of his worst performances since entering the NBA, Andrew Wiggins has bounced back strong this year. Now fully recovered and playing at a high level, he has emerged as a crucial asset for Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.

Through 17 games, Wiggins is averaging 17.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, while shooting 45.9% from the field and 41.3% from three-point range. If he can sustain this level of play, he will be an important complementary piece alongside Draymond Green and Stephen Curry as the Warriors aim to compete for another championship.