Many players were hesitant to get the Covid-19 vaccine before the start of the season. But the question was really problematic for two of them: Kyrie Irving and Andrew Wiggins.
While local mandates in New York and San Francisco required them to be vaccinated to play at home, the two men made two opposing choices in the face of their fears. The Nets point guard has thus decided not to be vaccinated, even if it means missing half of the matches before being completely excluded from the group at first, while the Warriors winger has reluctantly accepted… to achieve the most successful campaign of his career.
“I still regret having had to do it”explains however Andrew Wiggins at the Bay Area News Group. “But overall, everything went well. I’m here on the most exciting team in the league. I’m an All Star. So I feel like I made the right choice, in the end. “
It must be said that this situation had placed the winger in a situation where he is uncomfortable: in the spotlight.
“I think for Andrew it was hard to find himself in the middle of it all”says Steve Kerr. “Everyone who knows him likes him, likes his attitude, his approach to life, the way he treats people. He’s a fantastic person. I think once that’s settled, people move on. “
The Warriors’ best 3-point shooter
Andrew Wiggins also appreciated that his teammates and his franchise did not put pressure on him. Even if Stephen Curry multiplied the messages for vaccination, questioning Dr. Anthony Fauci several times, he thus refused to interfere in the choice of his comrade, out of respect for the “cloakroom code”.
“I knew that people supported me and that I supported them”confirms Andrew Wiggins. “It goes a long way, on the pitch but also off the pitch.”
Paradoxically, this moment therefore strengthened the bond of trust between the former Minnesota player and his teammates in the Bay. To allow him to return away from the spotlight, where he is much more comfortable.
“I think with the transition from our Finals to our current situation, he had a specific role to play as a winger.”concludes Stephen Curry. “He can be a great defender. He can give us different options in attack, which we did not necessarily have. And that allows him to get away from the pressure, in order to best stick to the way we play, and with what we do. “
And thus become All-Star, with his most effective season since his arrival in the NBA, with a “True Shooting Percentage” (which takes into account the importance of 3-pointers and shots) of 58%, and the best percentage 3-point success for the team, with 41.4%, ahead of Stephen Curry’s 37.9% and Klay Thompson’s 37.4%.
| Andrew Wiggins | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2014-15 | MIN | 82 | 36 | 43.7 | 31.0 | 76.0 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.6 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 0.6 | 16.9 |
| 2015-16 | MIN | 81 | 35 | 45.9 | 30.0 | 76.1 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 0.6 | 20.7 |
| 2016-17 | MIN | 82 | 37 | 45.2 | 35.6 | 76.0 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 23.6 |
| 2017-18 | MIN | 82 | 36 | 43.8 | 33.1 | 64.3 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 17.7 |
| 2018-19 | MIN | 73 | 35 | 41.2 | 33.9 | 69.9 | 1.1 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 0.7 | 18.1 |
| 2019-20 * | All Teams | 54 | 34 | 44.7 | 33.2 | 70.9 | 1.2 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 21.8 |
| 2019-20 * | MIN | 42 | 35 | 44.4 | 33.1 | 72.0 | 1.1 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 3.7 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 22.4 |
| 2019-20 * | GOS | 12 | 34 | 45.7 | 33.9 | 67.2 | 1.5 | 3.1 | 4.6 | 3.6 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 1.4 | 19.4 |
| 2020-21 | GOS | 71 | 33 | 47.7 | 38.0 | 71.4 | 1.2 | 3.7 | 4.9 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 18.6 |
| 2021-22 | GOS | 54 | 32 | 48.1 | 41.4 | 66.1 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 4.2 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 17.7 |
| Total | 579 | 35 | 44.9 | 35.1 | 72.7 | 1.2 | 3.2 | 4.4 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 19.4 | |
