SAN FRANCISCO — Andrew Wiggins isn’t one to show too much emotion, but he couldn’t hide his smile after the Warriors clinched a Western Conference finals spot.
Wiggins was beaming as he answered reporters’ questions on the court after a Game 6 performance in which he collected 10 rebounds and three blocks against Memphis — and he had every reason to.
“Usually I’m just cool all the way,” Wiggins said. “But it’s good to show emotions sometimes, and I feel like last game deserved it. I’ve never been here before, so it’s a special opportunity.”
Wiggins is averaging seven rebounds per game during the playoffs and has 76 rebounds total, which includes a team-leading 27 offensive rebounds. The Warriors have outscored opponents by a total of 56 points when Wiggins has been on the court. That’s plenty to smile about for a former first overall draft pick in his first deep playoff run.
Steph Curry stopped in his tracks on his way off the court when he saw Wiggins smile.
“That guy right there, that guy right there,” Curry said to cameras behind him. “Oh, my god.”
Golden State’s next challenge will be one of the NBA’s best players in Luka Dončić — a tall, strong point guard who can get what he wants offensively. The Warriors will call on Wiggins to primarily defend him — perhaps with Klay Thompson, Kevon Looney and Draymond Green chipping in to help.
“It’s gonna be a tough matchup, for sure,” Wiggins said. “You’ve seen what he’s been doing these whole playoffs. It’s gonna be a team effort. All of us, the whole team are going to have to do it collectively.”
Tough, indeed. The 23-year-old guard carried the Mavericks to a shocking series win over the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in seven games. He missed the first three games of the playoffs against Utah with a strained calf and returned to average 31 points on 10 rebounds and six assists per game in 10 playoff games.
He was practically unstoppable against the Warriors in the regular season, averaging 31 points and nine rebounds in four games: Dallas beat the Warriors three times in those four matchups. Wiggins defended Dončić plenty during those games, and while he kept up, Dončić was bullying to the rim consistently.
But Wiggins isn’t playing like his regular-season self. He’s playing with a new edge and fervor.
That edge has helped offensively, where he’s hit some big shots — particularly three in the fourth quarter of the Game 6 clincher last week. Defensively, Wiggins made it known he was unafraid of a challenge when he asked acting head coach Mike Brown if he could pick up the Grizzlies’ Tyus Jones full court.
Brown was pleasantly surprised, telling Wiggins to pick his spots. Wiggins held Jones — Memphis point guard Ja Morant’s backup — to seven points on 2-of-12 shooting.
Wiggins is answering calls that came up during the regular season to amp up his intensity and aggression on both ends. Some emotion has come out with it, including a growl after Wiggins dunked over Brandon Clarke in Game 3.
“For him, it’s just a matter of if he’s locked in and engaged, in terms of what that actually means with what he’s focused on on the court,” Curry said. “That’s being physical on defense, taking those matchups seriously, taking on the challenge of it, rebounding the basketball and then just being aggressive on offense — attacking the paint or taking open shots…When all that happens, he has a different impact on the game, and we all appreciate and know it makes us better.”
Curry said, jokingly, he’s hoping Wiggins earns a technical as an official record of his new aggressive style. Wiggins said he gave it his best shot after that dunk over Clarke. For now, he’ll keep smiling.
“You’ll see a lot more smiles the further we go,” Wiggins said.
