Minnesota Timberwolves: The rise and fall of Andrew Wiggins

Taking a closer look at the meteoric rise and inexplicable fall of Andrew Wiggins and ponder whether he can still revive his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves

Andrew Wiggins is a former No. 1 overall draft pick and he came into the league as one of the most hyped draft prospects in recent memory. Fast forward to today and Wiggins is arguably a worse player than he was in his rookie season.

His career now sits at a crossroads and he seemingly holds the Minnesota Timberwolves’ future in his hands.

So let’s go back to the beginning and take a look at the rise and fall of Andrew Wiggins, then explore what the future may hold for him and Minnesota.

*Don’t feel like reading? Check out the latest episode of the Around the Arc podcast where we’ll dive deep into this topic and more (listen below)…

The Hype Train

Right from the start, it seemed that Andrew Wiggins was born to be a professional basketball player. He certainly had the genetic makeup for it.

Wiggins’ mother was an Olympic silver medalist track and field star while his father was a six-year NBA pro.

And it’s fair to say that Andrew obtained much of his parents’ athletic prowess, given he would blossom into a 6-foot-8 NBA small forward with athleticism that some compared to one, Michael Jordan.

In fact, the Canadian Wiggins was even given the nickname, “Maple Jordan” before he even made it to the NBA.

And the buzz surrounding this guy was more than just a nickname and some crazy hops. He was one of the most hyped high school prospects since LeBron James and he would carry that momentum into college where – playing for a Kansas City team that also featured Joel Embiid – he would be named an All-American.

All of this would culminate with Wiggins being selected number one overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves and it still seemed the best days were still ahead.