OKC Thunder: Aaron Wiggins Fills Void Left by Kenrich Williams Injury
The Thunder needed an answer to both fill the void left by Kenrich Williams and to help stop a five-game losing streak.
The Thunder have players on their bench who could fill in for Williams, who was a key veteran presence on-court. New addition Dario Saric could see his veteran role increase, but on Friday it was Aaron Wiggins.
Wiggins has seen an up-and-down role for most of this season.
Friday night, Wiggins played 27 minutes for the Thunder off the bench. He led the team in scoring with 27, a career-high. Wiggins shot an impressive 12-of-16 from the field and 1-of-2 from 3-point range.
Wiggins is averaging just under seven points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in 19 minutes per game. Wiggins is shooting at a 51.7% clip from the field and 39.6% from beyond the arc this season.
The Thunder were in need of a spark off of the bench with Williams out and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also missing for OKC on Friday.
OKC hasn’t had a spark plug since the All Star Break as the they dropped five straight, four without SGA, and were falling behind in the Western Conference for a play-in spot. But Wiggins led a hot-handed OKC offense to defeat Utah and score 130 total points.
Wiggins has shown flashes of being a contributing force for OKC throughout his stint with the Thunder, but at times has been overshadowed by other bench players. Now with injuries Wiggins has a chance to have more of a role and a chance to showcase his abilities in a larger role and continue to fight for minutes as OKC continues to battle in the Western Conference.
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