Is Andrew Wiggins’s athleticism making him a chase-down block specialist?
In the world of professional basketball, one question often comes up: Is Andrew Wiggins’s athleticism making him a chase-down block specialist? This inquiry goes deep into not just Wiggins’s performance metrics but also the young player’s burgeoning reputation as a defensive standout. For Wiggins, physical gifts only tell half the story. He’s taken his chase-down blocking and morphed it into a skill that could carve his name into the annals of NBA history. In this post, we go by the numbers to shine a light on Wiggins’s evolutionary path from offensive wizard to potential defensive dynamo.
Understanding Chase-Down Blocks
There are few things as exhilarating as a blocked shot in basketball, especially when it comes from a defender who is moving at full tilt in the opposite direction. But not every blocked shot qualifies as a chase-down block; for that, you need the following ingredients: a defender sprinting down the court, nearly in line with the shot that is about to be taken; an opponent good enough that he has already taken a few dribbles past the last line of defenders; and a moment—often a split second—when it looks like the better play for the offensive player is to shoot rather than take another dribble to the basket.
The defenders can catch up to the offensive player when there is quick acceleration, but that is not the only aspect of speed that comes into play.
The ability to leap and reach the rim is crucial for blocking.
- When to jump: This can make the difference between getting a block and committing a foul.
- Waiting with expectation: It is crucial to read the play and place oneself appropriately.
An impressive combination of skills makes Wiggins a top-tier defender. He is 6 feet 7 inches tall. With a wingspan of 7 feet, he can effectively contest shots. He is explosive. His vertical leap goes up, and his speed goes down; in other words, he performs better in short-distance sprints. These qualities make him a rare athlete—and a defender who gets better with practice.
Is Andrew Wiggins’s Athleticism Making Him a Chase-Down Block Specialist?
Andrew Wiggins’s career as a chase-down block specialist is reflected in his numbers. They tell you everything you need to know about how effective he is. And since becoming a member of the Golden State Warriors, his defensive skill set has only shone brighter. For instance, during the 2021-2022 season, Wiggins averaged 1.5 blocks per game with many of those swats coming in chase-down scenarios. And if you want to get a better handle on his impact as a defender—especially as a chaser—you can do no better than to look at a few specific examples.
Wiggins’s chase-down ability was on full display in a notable contest with the Dallas Mavericks, when he blocked a layup by Luka Dončić. This play sent the crowd into a frenzy and exemplified what Wiggins can do when he is making the most of his speed and timing. On top of that, he has been a consistent fast-break defender, chasing down players like DeAndre Ayton and swatting their shots from behind.
Furthermore, information gathered from the NBA’s tracking technology reveals that Wiggins is among the league’s elite when it comes to chase-down blocks. He is in the top 10% of all NBA players for that particular play, averaging approximately 1.2 chase-down blocks for every 48 minutes he is on the floor.
Quantifying Wiggins’s Defensive Impact
Contributions become clear when viewed through the lens of statistics. Wiggins’s defensive rating, which indicates how good an individual player is defensively and how much he impacts the game on the defensive end, has skyrocketed since his trade to Golden State. Last season, he posted a 106 defensive rating, putting him on the short list of players who are actually good at defense and who are impacting their teams in a positive way on that end of the floor.
To enhance our understanding of his influence, let’s take a look at these numbers:
- Fouls Committed: Wiggins averages 4.1 fouls per 48 minutes.
- Defensive Win Shares: During the 2021-2022 season, he notched 5.9 defensive win shares, which points to a pretty significant contribution to team defense.
- Challenged Shots: The way he challenges shots puts him in the upper echelon of the NBA, with a 32% opponent field goal percentage when he is the primary defender.
As a result, Wiggins’s combination of athleticism, skill, and awareness on the court enables him to be a strong defender—especially when he’s chasing down an offensive player.
The Broader Implications on Team Defense
The Golden State Warriors have benefitted enormously from Andrew Wiggins’s newfound ability to pursue and block shots from behind. That sounds like something we should maybe thank the shade of LeBron James for, given that Wiggins’s emergence as a chase-down block specialist seems to have come somewhat out of the blue and certainly after a few years of dormancy, if not futility. But the playoffs are when your shade isn’t guaranteed to fall, so thanks are probably more due to Wiggins than to any kind of path traced by LeBron.
In addition, his skill at developing momentum from defensive plays boosts the team’s identity of being defensively resilient. Coach Steve Kerr often praises Wiggins for being “a huge part of what we do,” and those who’ve long followed the team know that when he plays like this, the Warriors are a different outfit. Wiggins not only excites the crowd with his chase-down blocks but also performs by far his most thrilling act of defensive play, energizing the team and possibly electrifying the game itself, when he simply plays.
Is Andrew Wiggins’s Athleticism Making Him a Chase-Down Block Specialist? Conclusion
At the end of the day, the matter comes down to this: Is the chase-down block really the Andrew Wiggins specialty it appears to be? The answer, based on the available evidence, is: Yep. Not only is he doing it a lot; he is doing it effectively, and he is doing it in a way that is meaningful to the overall identity and success of the Warriors as a defensive unit.
The 2023 NBA season is well underway, and it’s critical for Wiggins to keep up his current, impressive level of play. Chase-down blokage, where you track a guy down from behind and swat his shot into the fifth row, has become a carrier skill in today’s small-ball, drive-and-kick, dunk-or-die league.
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