NBA names Timberwolves' Wiggins Rookie of the Year
Updated: 4:43 p.m. | Posted: 2:30 p.m.
Andrew Wiggins provided some light in an otherwise dismal NBA season for the Minnesota Timberwolves. On Thursday, the former University of Kansas phenom was named NBA Rookie of the Year.
Wiggins averaged 16.9 points and 4.6 rebounds while playing all 82 games as a rookie and averaged 39 minutes per game for a team that was routinely missing five, six, even eight players a night to injury over the last four months.
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The 20-year-old Canadian says it's a big honor to be the first player in the team's history to receive the award.
"It means a lot to me. I know it means a lot to the organization," Wiggins said. "It should bring a lot of hope for the future of the Minnesota Timberwolves."
Wiggins was the No. 1 overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers last June, but was traded to the Timberwolves in August in the deal that sent Timberwolves star Kevin Love to Cleveland.
Wiggins says moving out of Lebron James' shadow allowed him to broaden his skills.
"I came in here as a starter, expecting to do a lot more than I would've on the other team," Wiggins said. "I think that's the thing that helped me grow a lot."
With 16 wins and 66 losses, however, the Timberwolves finished the season with the worst record in the NBA.