When the Golden State Warriors needed a bucket to stop a 14-2 Boston Celtics run in the opening minutes of Game 6 of the NBA Finals, it was Andrew Wiggins who hit a top-of-the-key 3-pointer. And when the Warriors needed stops on Jayson Tatum, whose superstardom as an almost unguardable scorer is just scratching the surface, it was Wiggins whose number was called.
In fact, almost every time the Warriors needed a play during their Finals run — an offensive rebound that led to a tip-in bucket, a chase-down block, an isolation basket when the offense stifled, a forced Tatum turnover — Wiggins made it happen.
Stephen Curry rightfully claimed the 2022 NBA Finals MVP as the Warriors eliminated the Celtics in six games on Thursday, but Wiggins does not need Bill Russell’s namesake trophy to substantiate his value on a championship team. His year-over-year development is a large part of why the Warriors were able to make another championship run years after their dynasty supposedly came to an end — as was his decision to get vaccinated despite significant personal objection to putting a foreign substance in his body.
