“Andrew Wiggins is going to be a star for the Warriors in no time!”: When TNT’s Kenny Smith made an insane prediction 2 years before his first All-Star appearance

Tonoy Sengupta | 28/01/2022
"Andrew Wiggins is going to be a star for the Warriors in no time!": When TNT's Kenny Smith made an insane prediction 2 years before his first All-Star appearance

Kenny Smith’s unthinkable prediction from 2 years ago about Warriors’ Andrew Wiggins no longer looks as crazy as it did

 

Andrew Wiggins has quietly been one of the Warriors’ most important players. To the point where we aren’t sure he is being given the credit, he deserves by the NBA community.

This season, the man is averaging 18.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists, while shooting 48.1% from the field, and 40.4% from three. But, while those numbers are pretty damn impressive, they frankly don’t even come close to doing this man justice.

Many may forget now, but when Wiggins was acquired in exchange for letting D’Angelo Russell go, many believed that the Timberwolves won that trade easily. Wiggs was known as an inefficient scorer who could not come close to contributing on the other side of the ball. In other words, many believe that the Warriors got an absolute dud in return for a guard with potential.

Fast forward to now, and Wiggins is as efficient as they come on offense, and arguably one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA today. He is one of the most important players on a contending Warriors team, and recently, was named as an All-Star starter for the first time. In other words, good ol’ Maple Jordan is developing into a star.

Given that little history lesson we just gave you, you might think that no one in the world even considered this possibility. And while we will say you’d be very close to being right, Kenny Smith ruled that opinion in the loser’s section a long, long time ago.

Let’s get into it, shall we?

Also Read: “If we are gonna s**k like this every year? my window is closed because I can’t get up for these meaningless games”: Draymond Green believed the Warriors’ window for a championship was over after the 2019 NBA Finals against Toronto

 

Kenny Smith predicted that Andrew Wiggins would be a star in the NBA, as soon as he was traded to the Golden State Warriors

It may seem unthinkable, but yes. Kenny Smith did indeed predict it. On multiple occasions actually.

The first time around, this is what he said almost immediately after the trade had become official.

And then, despite Andrew Wiggins having an up and down season on a bad Warriors side in his first year there, Smith evidently still believed, as he said this on ‘95.7: The Game’ podcast.

“I think he’s gonna make the All-Star team next year… He could be that good.”

The man further continued.

“He does everything that Harrison Barnes was doing, (when he played for the Warriors), and he’s more athletic.”

Kenny Smith may get a lot of stick from the NBA community. But damn, was this a good prediction.

Let’s give the man his flowers, shall we?

Also Read: “Gloria James’ son! God’s plan! LeBron James becomes the first player to be named an All-Star starter for 18 consecutive years”: The King ties Michael Jordan for the all-time leader in All-Star votes

Post Edited By: Tonoy Sengupta
andrew wiggins

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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