Veteran forward Andrew Wiggins reached prosperity in the period of Heatpreseason games this fall, but reportedly struggled to open the regular season Anthony Chung of The Miami Herald. The former No. 1 overall pick says he’s “not too sure” why he’s played so poorly through nine games.
“I just have to clear up a couple of things” Wiggins said after Thursday’s loss at Golden State.Just keep focusing on the little things and everything else will fall into place after that.”
Chan notes that Wiggins is hitting career lows in nearly every major statistical category. on/off numbers — The Heat are minus-14.3 points per 100 possessions with Wiggins in the game and plus-2.1 when he’s not playing, reflecting the extent of his early struggles.
The 31-year-old is a high-class defender when he’s at his best, but he’s been a net negative up until this point.
“It makes everyone notice you“, head coach Erik Spoelstra said about how Wiggins could make more of a defensive impact. “Put your fingerprints on the game, on every thing. I don’t need to look at the stats. Your teammates don’t need it. The coaching staff does not need to in this regard. You can see it. You can feel it. He is able to do it.
“When he’s at his best, he’s so effective defensively. Sometimes you go through stretch marks like this. This is a very talented, skilled, offensive league. But this is where he is now. He has enough fortitude to keep plugging away. Obviously, we need him on both ends of the floor. And he will get there.”
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- 3-6 Heat start worse than the last decade. Spoelstra said he didn’t expect to start the 2026/27 season off on the wrong foot Chan writes. “There was nothing from training camp or the preseason to indicate this start“, Spoelstra said. “We thought we were developing the right habits, but in reality this league can be humiliating. I’m rushing there too. We have a lot of guys with resumes, but a resume and a piece of paper don’t protect. It should be action. It has to be five people working together where you’re really putting your efforts out there and on the same page.” Star forward Janice Antecumbathe team’s major offseason addition, declined to speak to the media after Thursday’s one-sided loss, Chan adds.
- Trey Young earned video honors last season in his first game in Atlanta as an opposing player, but he was unable to compete in that contest due to a knee injury. The Wizards point guard returned to Atlanta on Friday and had a double-double (23 points, 10 assists), but he also committed eight turnovers in Washington’s loss Hawkswith whom he spent his first seven and a half years in the league. According to Bill Trocki of the Associated Pressthe four-time All-Star received a “muted response” from Atlanta fans. Young described it as a “different” experience. “I don’t think it’s going to be that way every time (I play in Atlanta), but tonight is for sure“, Young said.”Even the day we played with them (Wednesday) I knew today would be the next one. I won’t be first all the time. Do you understand what I’m saying? That is why I will probably have these feelings.”
- Hawks center Mr. Akongwu says the new guard Kingston Flemings is “the fastest player I’ve ever played with,” according to Kevin Chouinard of the team’s website, and a forward/defenseman Dyson Daniels agree (Twitter references). “Me and O were actually talking about this last week” said Daniels.(Flemings) was the fastest guy we’ve ever seen. When he takes off, it’s hard to keep him ahead. I had to deal with this a lot in training camp.” Flemings, Daniels and Okongwu helped Atlanta win its third straight game on Friday. The Flemings, the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft, recently replaced CJ McCollum in the starting lineup.