Mark Daigneault Shares Praise For Aaron Wiggins; 'An Incredible Factor For Us'

The Thunder guard is a swiss army knife and is being utilized in the playoffs.

Apr 21, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) gestures / Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Those who have followed the Oklahoma City Thunder closely in recent history understand the impact Aaron Wiggins makes. He helps the team play winning basketball, even if he isn't always in the rotation. His patience and willingness to make every impact he can whenever he touches the floor is paying dividends in the playoffs.

In the first round, Wiggins played 15 minutes per game, logging 5.8 points per contest. His impact was solid, as it had been all regular season, but he's always capable of swinging a game.

On Tuesday, Wiggins played 23 minutes en route to the Thunder's 117-95 Game 1 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. He scored 16 points, adding five rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal. He shot 5-of-7 from the field and 3-of-4 on 3-pointers. His impact was felt everywhere and was done so in an efficient manner, just as Wiggins is capable of.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault spoke about Wiggins on Wednesday during his media availability at practice.

"I just think he's a great example of somebody that's grown inside the culture of the organization and system," Daigneault said. "He's excelled at that and now become an incredible factor for us."

With the way teams adjust in the playoffs -- in the Thunder's case, putting a big or poor defender on Josh Giddey -- Wiggins is the perfect player to have on the roster. He does a little bit of everything on the floor and will make teams pay for not paying attention to him, making him the perfect plug-and-play guy when teams are trying to focus in on the Thunder's key players.

Moving forward, Wiggins will continue to make a strong impact, especially if the Mavericks want to ignore Giddey to hone in on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams defensively. Throwing Wiggins into the lineup -- a good shooter and elite cutter -- will make them pay. His on-ball and off-ball defense makes him a seamless addition to the lineup.

There's not a better role player for the playoffs than Wiggins, and he is a product of an incredible system.

The Thunder hits their home court again on Thursday for Game 2 against the Dallas Mavericks, looking to take advantage of a second straight game at the Paycom Center.

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