It started as a funny joke that spread across NBA Twitter and far beyond, but last night for the Thunder, it became reality. Aaron Wiggins basketball saved. Or at least he saved Oklahoma City’s winning streak and found a way to win the game in front of a raucous home crowd.
Wiggins signed a 5-year contract worth $47 million to stay with the Thunder this offseason, and every time he plays a game like Friday night, it feels like a steal. In 24 minutes, he added 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocks. He shot 7 of 9 from the floor and 4 of 6 from the 3-point line. Most of his work came in the fourth quarter, when the Thunder needed him the most. In the final frame alone, he had 15 points on 5 of 5 shooting and 4 of 4 from 3-point range.
It was one of the most impressive bench performances in recent memory for the Thunder and, ultimately, it elevated OKC above the Knicks. The bench unit, led by Wiggins, was the difference in the game. Oklahoma City’s bench outscored New York’s 44-5 throughout the game.
Over the past few weeks, it has become clear that Wiggins excels with more minutes. Once he finds his rhythm in the game, he becomes a formidable offensive player for the Thunder. When his minutes are up, his production also tends to increase.
Wiggins has exceeded 20 minutes in four of the last five contests. He averages 15.2 points over this stretch. Over the last 10 games, he has played less than 20 minutes in half of those games. In the five matchups where Wiggins didn’t reach 20 minutes, he averaged just 3.8 points.
It’s clear that when Wiggins plays serious minutes off the bench, he has a clear impact on this team. Oklahoma City really needs its offense some nights. He needs to find consistency moving forward and doing his best on defense every night. He has a crucial role to play on this Thunder team, and it feels like he’s starting to figure it out.
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