NBA Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins has revealed that he would like to stay with the Minnesota Timberwolves ‘forever’ after impressing in his first season.
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Wiggins became the first rookie in Timberwolves history to win the Rookie of the Year award on Thursday, and it was a real reward for his impressive play this season.
The 20-year-old’s introduction to the NBA was a difficult situation for him as he was initially selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the No.1 overall pick, but was then traded in the Kevin Love deal.
While that would have been tough for him to process so early on in his career having ultimately been discarded by his first team in the league, Wiggins settled in Minnesota and was a shining light in an otherwise disappointing season.
The Timberwolves certainly have a talented, young core to their roster that will improve as the years go by, and Wiggins is adamant that he will be a huge part of that development for many seasons to come.
“I hope I’m here forever,” Wiggins told The Associated Press, as reported by ESPN.
“I hope. It would be nice.”
Wiggins averaged 16.9 points and 4.6 rebounds this year while playing in all 82 games, and he is confident that the franchise has the pieces in place for them to compete in the Western Conference moving forward.
The Rookie of the Year race in itself was a one-horse race, particularly after Milwaukee Bucks starlet Jabari Parker suffered a season-ending injury back in January.
Wiggins received 110 of 130 first-place votes for 604 points, with Chicago Bulls star Nikola Mirotic finishing in second spot with 335 points while Nerlens Noel was third.
The Wolves were an NBA-worst 16-66 this past year, but lost many of their veterans to injuries early on which had a major impact on their form.
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