The Thunder fell short against the Lakers on Saturday night despite a 120-point outing. Oklahoma City struggled to keep up with Los Angeles' high-scoring attack and efficient 3-point shooting, including a 5-for-5 outing from LeBron James.
On any given night, 120 points should be plenty to win a game, and with how good the Thunder have been playing, it should be a given. But Saturday night, the defense was lackluster and seemed uninterested. Of course, the Lakers drilled uncharacteristic long-range shots and plenty of contested jumpers, but the Thunder allowed way too many open looks.
Oklahoma City could've used an impact two-way player that brings high energy to the floor like Aaron Wiggins. And honestly, Wiggins' role should've expanded long ago. The Thunder seem to benefit on both ends when he's on the floor and he always makes the most of his minutes.
Wiggins played just six minutes in Saturday night's loss. It's even more inexplicable considering the fact that Josh Giddey was sidelined with an injury, so the Thunder needed rebounding and length on the floor.
Over the last 10 games, Wiggins has played more than 15 minutes just twice, and he's averaging 12 minutes per game on the season. His minutes per game have gone down in each of his three seasons despite his production and efficiency going up.
On the season, Wiggins is averaging 5.0 points and 2.2 rebounds on 58.8% shooting and 48% from 3-point range.
He's an elite cutter who has improved his outside shooting every season with the Thunder. Wiggins is a fantastic off-ball player, which is just what Oklahoma City has needed recently.
With or without Giddey, Wiggins has earned consistent playing time and seems like a perfect fit off the bench for the Thunder. Moving forward, the more looks he gets, the better.
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