OKC Thunder Getting Massive Boost From Aaron Wiggins

No. 55 picks in the NBA Draft are typically forgotten about. By that point in the draft, eyes are glazing over. Most teams have moved on to hunting undrafted guys to fill out summer league rosters and pundits are using buzzwords to get by. (Unless, of course, the No. 55 pick is Bronny James, then it turns into a year-long diatribe).

However, Aaron Wiggins has continued to buck the trend of late second-round picks. Working his way from two-way standout to standard NBA pact to viable rotational piece for a 68-win club. Oklahoma City wouldn't have been able to pull off these historic regular-season heights without his stellar January and February to help guide the Thunder.

Now, on the biggest stage he and every other member of the Thunder, sans Alex Caruso, have ever played on is providing a massive boost to the Bricktown Ballers.

So far, the Oklahoma City Thunder have collected three wins in the race to four during the 2025 NBA Finals. Two of those three have Wiggins' fingerprints all over them.

In Game 2, Wiggins posted 18 points off the pine for Oklahoma City on 5-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc with four rebounds, an assist and a steal to help the Thunder capture its first Finals win and even up the series.

In Game 5, the Maryland product logged a series-high 26 minutes to go 4-for-7 from 3-point land, outperforming the entire Thunder squad's deep range shooting from Game 4 by himself. Wiggins ended with 14 points, five rebounds and a block playing a major role in the Thunder going up 3-2 in the series.

This is a testament to Oklahoma City's developmental system. Without Mark Daigneault trusting Wiggins in the regular season for the past four years and the swingman's willingness to grow with the OKC Blue in sparing G League Minutes, none of this is possible.

Wiggins has turned himself into the best three-level scoring option off the bench for OKC while vastly improving defensively against his natural position (guards) while still aiming to get better as a defender forced to scale up to defend bigger options.

Role players play better at home and that is where the 26-year-old has found the most success. Wiggins is the ultimate role player. If Oklahoma City captures its first championship, it would not be possible without the growth and continued upward trajectory of Wiggins –– especially in this series.