February Aaron Wiggins: A Revelation For OKC Thunder

Coming into February, Aaron Wiggins had eclipsed 20 points once in 46 appearances this season. He has reached that benchmark twice in his last five games.

The fourth-year Oklahoma City Thunder wing recorded a career-high 41 points on Feb. 1 in a blowout victory over the Sacramento Kings. He registered 26 points on a season-high eight triples Saturday night to help the Thunder subdue the No. 2 Memphis Grizzlies, 125-112.

Wiggins has averaged 23.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in February — all better than every other month. He has shot 62.8% on 43 2-pointers, including 20-for-26 on rim attempts, and converted 17 of 36 3-pointers. After his final three January games shooting below 50% from the field, in which he did not make a triple on 14 tries, Wiggins has matched or exceeded 50% in every game since the calendar turned.

"Guys are finding me, I'm getting good looks and shots are falling," Wiggins said. "Just continuing to play within the offense and try to make plays."

Rebounding has been another crucial development for Wiggins — he has grabbed 2.6 offensive rebounds per game during the month, helping Oklahoma City accumulate 38 more offensive boards than its opponents. He was one of seven Thunder players who notched multiple offensive rebounds in Memphis.

Wiggins' rotation role became more secure after he signed a five-year contract with a team option last summer. He has played over 20 minutes per game for the first time since his rookie year, and his playing time has spiked to 32.4 minutes per game in February.

Jalen Williams, who made a game-high 12 field goals on 20 attempts, dished out six assists against the Grizzlies — including four to Wiggins. Three led to 3-point makes.

"I told him I'm trying to find him," Williams said.

Williams said Wiggins has been big for the Thunder this season, with his recent play adding more depth to the team.

"The threes are loud, but he's just a very good player," Williams said. "When people run him off the line he can still do a plethora of other things. ... Tonight it's him making threes but there's just a lot of plays where he makes the extra pass or he knows when to cut."

Wiggins and the Thunder return home to play the New Orleans Pelicans tomorrow at 7 p.m. CST.