Stiles Points: Aaron Wiggins A Touch Stone For OKC Thunder Developmental Success

The Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off an impressive win against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday in what was a career night for Aaron Wiggins. He serves as a touch stone for the Thunder's developmental plan.

Feb 1, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Aaron Wiggins (21) gets water poured on him by his teammates after his performance against the Sacramento Kings during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

"Aar-on Wigg-ins," the Paycom Center faithful chanted in unison for the hometown swingman en route to a career night against the Sacramento Kings.

"I'm sitting on the free throw line and I'm like, it's hard to believe. I'm also trying to finish out the game and everything. But I mean, the love from the crowd was awesome," Aaron Wiggins said after the game.

It is a fairytale you would not believe on the silver screen. If Hollywood scripted this your sports-obsessed friend would lean over every scene saying "yeah right! That would never happen!" Yet, it did.

The Oklahoma City Thunder watched as the No. 55 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, former two-way forward now second contract rotational piece, went for a career-best 41 points and career-high 14 rebounds to couple with three assists while shooting 53 percent from the floor in Saturday's win against the Kings.

As the OKC Thunder improved to 38-9, this game served as another touchstone to how great Oklahoma City's track record is at developing talent. Wiggins becomes the seventh member of the Thunder to crack 40 points in a single game, joining fellow former two-way contract player Lu Dort.

The undrafted Arizona State product went for 20 points in his own right on 6-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc against the Kings. Dort is a far cry from the player he was his rookie season, converting triples at a 40 percent clip, taking high-quality shots and turning in elite-level defense, the one constant in his game.

These two are some of the brightest examples of the Thunder's developmental work and this singular game put that into action to showcase Oklahoma City's years of work. An evolution of this roster and Wiggins' game that deserves reflection.

"I have that realization almost every day - highs, lows. I just think back to the dreams that I had growing up... Staying level grounded and having that realization is something that I kind of try to tap back into often," Wiggins said following his career night.

"It turned into his night. He played with great confidence... I was really happy with his aggressiveness starting the game. He just dove right into the game," Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said.

Oklahoma City has sky-high team chemistry and Wiggins is a big reason why as the Oklahoma City bench boss explains.

"He's a fan favorite in our locker room - like other guys - he's not the only one, but he's all team. He's all-team on offense. He's all-team on defense. He's all team day to day... That earns respect in the locker room," Daigneault said of Wiggins.

This is another massive game for the Maryland product that signal-handedly won Oklahoma City their contest against the Knicks inside the Paycom Center last month.

It has been anything but a smooth ride for a player who was under-recruited out of high school, selected at the bottom of the NBA draft and had to grind through the NBA G League to become a vital part of the Thunder's rotation. Even this season, you can find box scores of the swingman playing just nine minutes on a given night. However, Wiggins stays ready at a moment's notice and has delivered in big spots throughout the year.

When Sam Presti turned in the draft card for Wiggins in June of 2021, no one could've expected he would reach a second contract much less score over 40 points in a game or carve out a mainstay spot in Daigneault's rotation. This is all a testament to not just the work the 26-year-old has put in, but the Thunder being equal opportunist.

Far too often franchises skew its developmental resources and investment to the top of a draft - Oklahoma City means it when they spout off their plans for players 1-18 on the roster and willingness to give everyone a shot. It is seen time and time again, from this outing to Branden Carlson providing valuable minutes and Ajay Mitchell being the backup point guard since game one until he was sidelined with a toe injury.

Leave the reputation at the door, bring your hard hat and get to work. That is the culture in Oklahoma City and one that continues to pay off nightly as the Thunder collect wins.

Stiles Points

• January Report Card for the OKC Thunder.
• Chet Holmgren dunked at shootaround before tip-off of this Sacramento Kings contest during the Thunder's shootaround.
• Isaiah Hartenstein gave a rave review about Jalen Williams and his All-Star bid.
• The OKC Thunder have seen another game flexed to National TV.
• Somehow, someway, Luka Doncic is a Los Angeles Laker.

Song of the Day: What's Up by Four Non-Blondes.

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