Andrew Wiggins dunks on Andres Nocioni at FIBA Americas
Expectations are high for reigning Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins in 2015-16. With the Minnesota Timberwolves now employing the last three first-overall draft picks and several other promising young talents, the pressure is on Wiggins to develop into a superstar capable of leading this franchise back to contention (or at least its first playoff berth since 2004). For what it’s worth, our Dan Devine has tabbed him as being fully capable of achieving that goal.
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The early evidence suggests that Wiggins is on the right track. Former NBA-er Andres Nocioni of Argentina found out the hard way in Canada’s FIBA Americas tournament opener on Tuesday as Wiggins finished off his second big poster dunk in just under a week of international duty:
Wiggins went 5-of-9 from the field for 13 points and added six rebounds and three assists, but Argentina felled Canada 94-87 behind 35 points from Luis Scola, who will incidentally ply his trade for the Toronto Raptors next season. The win puts Argentina in very good position to win Group B and perhaps eventually clinch a berth in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
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The broader takeaway, though, is that Wiggins looks as exciting as ever. Expect to hear a lot more from and about him over the next few months.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
