MIAMI – While the goal has always been for new Miami Heat star Andrew Wiggins to get acclimated to the team's culture, it seems that it's finally headed that way. Despite the Heat losing five straight to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, it was another solid performance from Wiggins in showing how valuable he can be for the team as he spoke about his adjustment.
He mentioned after Monday's loss to the Charlotte Hornets that he could've been more aggressive, especially in the second half, as before Wednesday, he had back-to-back performances where he started great, but tapered off towards the end. Despite his three misses in the first quarter, the team put him in situations to be aggressive and go downhill with the ball.
Wiggins would explode in the second and third quarter scoring eight and 11 points respectively, finding his groove in the paint and even from mid-range. He would finish the contest with 22 points, tied for the most scored in his new home arena, and said after the game that while he did “alright,” he feels “comfortable” with his team.
“I did alright tonight,” Wiggins said after Wednesday's game. “For me, [they put me in] a lot of different situations, but I'm comfortable with all of them. I love being involved, being aggressive and just trying to do whatever I can to help the team.”
Heat's Andrew Wiggins on getting used to new teammates' tendencies
Wiggins was the key piece in the trade that sent former Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors as he would close out a new big three alongside Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo. Besides offensively, Wiggins is known for being a productive two-way player, though he's in a new system under head coach Erik Spoelsta as he expressed getting used to that aspect.
“I feel like I’m getting there,” Wiggins said. “It’s definitely different than what I was used to. But you know, I'm looking forward to just getting better, you know, at you know, certain situations and the tendencies of the team and what we do. I feel like every game is going to get better and better from my understanding and everything like that.”
As Wiggins continues to adjust with the Heat in this new chapter of his life after being with Golden State since 2019, he looks to hopefully give the team some life for a late playoff push. However, Miami is on a season-high five-game skid with frustrating losses like Wednesday and before where they blew double-digit leads, but Wiggins is excited to learn from it.
“We were in all the other games, you know, we didn't finish the way we wanted it to finish,” Wiggins said. “But you know, we were fighting to the end. This game, kept fighting, they kept us in the lead, kept fighting, they kept us in the lead. Just got to look forward to the next game, we gotta see our mistakes, see what we can do better and I look forward to the next game.”
Erik Spoelstra wants Andrew Wiggins to be a “hub” for the Heat
The Heat coach in Spoelstra has mentioned Wiggins being aggressive being an integral part for the team, but went into what they're looking for from him, which is more than just his assertiveness. Besides his playmaking and defense, Spoelstra predicts that Wiggins will have an impact on the offense in them loosening up.
“Well, he understands that we need it,” Spoelstra said on Wiggins' aggressiveness. “And I think that's the biggest thing we need, we need big minutes, we need two-way play, we need him guarding the best guys, we need him to make inspiring plays defensively, and we need him to play-make for us, score, but also, be a hub of certain possessions. The more aggressive he is, I think the more he’ll loosen up everything for our offense.”
As Wiggins looks to get more comfortable, his next opportunity to show that will be Friday night as the Heat takes on the Boston Celtics with the team 29-36, which puts them ninth in the Eastern Conference.
