The Warriors, despite missing out on the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, still have plenty of talent on their roster heading into the 2021-22 season.
Led by superstar Steph Curry, Golden State will look to Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and forward Andrew Wiggins to round out what could be a playoff-bound Warriors squad this season.
ESPN is currently ranking the 100 best NBA players heading into the 2021-22 season, and Wiggins found his way onto the list.
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Unranked prior to last season, Wiggins came in at No. 77 on this year's list. A strong 2020-21 season from the 26-year-old seems to have boosted his stock.
"One big question: Can Wiggins replicate his two-way effort again for the Warriors? One of the biggest knocks on Wiggins after being acquired by the Warriors was whether he would provide the consistent effort on both ends of the floor that wasn't always apparent during his time with the Timberwolves," ESPN analyst Nick Friedell wrote. " 'Two-Way Wiggs' answered that question in his first full season with the Warriors -- drawing praise from coaches and teammates for his ability to change the game on the defensive end."
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Wiggins' strong defensive effort last season helped establish him as one of the league's better two-way players. Without Thompson, Wiggins often was the No. 2 scorer in the Warriors' offense. With Klay expected to return sometime in the first half of this upcoming season, it'll be interesting to see how Wiggins' role with the team changes.
