Thunder Summer League Journal: Aaron Wiggins Part 1

The second round pick led Oklahoma City in scoring versus the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.

Aaron Wiggins continued to impress for the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night.

The late second-round pick led the way scoring for OKC despite falling 80-65 at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans, as he continued to flash off his mid-range game which earned him the 2020 Sixth Man of the Year Award in the Big Ten.

Wiggins said after the game that the key to his aggressive play has been to relax and not let the gravity of the moment get to him.

“When I’m out there having fun and I’m not thinking about trying to do one thing specifically,” he said, “I’m just trying to do whatever it takes for my team to win. That’s where I’m most comfortable.”

Box Score

Not only was Wiggins the leading man for the Thunder, his 16 points were good for the second highest mark in the game.

He shot 7-of-16 from the floor, also adding five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block while only turning the ball over twice.

It was another great performance for Wiggins off the bench as he continue to grow with the team through the Summer League process in Las Vegas.

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Read More:

• Three Takeaways from the Thunder's Summer League Loss to the Pelicans

• Top Performers from Oklahoma City's 80-65 Loss to the Pelicans

• Thunder Summer League Journal: Tre Mann Part 2

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Play of the Game

It’s hard to pick just one singular play, as Wiggins proved to be the spark which got the Thunder back into the game in the second quarter.

\His insertion into the game was immediately followed by a 10-0 run which gave OKC the lead, where Wiggins scored six of his 16 points.

WATCH YA HEAD 🔨@Aaron_Wiggins_ | #ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/xzchMxlTYK

— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) August 11, 2021

He punctuated the stretch with a thunderous slam in transition, forcing the Pelicans to burn a timeout to try and bust up the momentum Oklahoma City had built.

Room for Improvement

While he’s more than confident in the mid-range, Wiggins will still have to work on his 3-point shooting.

He knocked down just one of his seven attempts from deep against New Orleans despite getting many open looks.

To his credit, he’s more than confident that he’ll be able to improve as a 3-point shooter, as he said during Oklahoma City’s introductory press conference for their 2021 draft class, but he’ll have to improve quickly and prove he’s more than just a defensive spark if he hopes to get his two-way contract converted into a full-fledged NBA deal. 

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