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Andrew Wiggins named 2014-15 NBA Rookie of the Year

By Nathaniel Reeves

Feb 20, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins (22) in the first quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Target Center. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Phoenix Suns 111-109. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 20, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins (22) in the first quarter against the Phoenix Suns at Target Center. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Phoenix Suns 111-109. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /
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The young Minnesota Timberwolves star caps off his rookie season with some hardware.

As expected, Minnesota Timberwolves winger Andrew Wiggins was named the NBA Rookie of the Year on Thursday.

After a slow first couple of weeks, the 20-year-old put together a stellar season, averaging 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in just over 36 minutes per game this season. Wiggins is the first Minnesota player to receive the honor.

Injuries to fellow top picks Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid and Aaron Gordon made this Wiggins’ award to lose early in the season. Wiggins averaged six more points per contest than any other rookie, so his selection as Rookie of the Year shouldn’t come as a shock or cause much controversy.

That was reflected in the voting, as Wiggins collected 110 of the 130 first-place votes according to ProBasketballTalk.

While there wasn’t much doubt, a few competitors could at least make an argument. Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic averaged 10.2 points and 4.9 rebound per game, including an incredible stretch in March, while leading rookies in PER at 17.93.

However, Wiggins is far superior defensively to Mirotic, and was more consistent for the entire season. Mirotic finished in second, collecting 81 second-place votes.

Nerlens Noel, who was drafted in 2013 but missed a year due to injury, led all rookies in rebounding and put up a solid PER of 15.03. If Noel had started as strong as he finished over the last 2.5 months it would have been a closer race, but his 9.9 points per game wasn’t going to be enough to top Wiggins and he ended up in third.

Elfrid Payton is the only other rookie who warranted some consideration, finishing in fourth. There just weren’t many categories that Payton was statistically better than Wiggins in, apart from his 6.5 assists per game.

So, Wiggins is a clear deserving candidate, and his numbers bode very well for his future. Wiggins is the fourth youngest player to win the award, trailing only superstars LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

With an exciting young core surrounding a budding star, Wiggins and the Timberwolves should only continue to get better.

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