Wiggins’ adjustment process continues after making Heat debut: ‘Just trying to figure it out’
As Andrew Wiggins adjusts to a new environment, new teammates and a new coaching staff, he’s being relied on to help lift the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference standings with just two months left in the regular season.
That may sound unfair to Wiggins, but he understands and accepts the challenge he now faces.
“It’s the NBA,” Wiggins said after making his Heat debut in an ugly 103-85 blowout home loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday night. “When you get traded midseason, you got to figure it out. That’s what I’m trying to do. We have great teammates here, great coaching staff. Everybody has been wonderful to me, so I’m excited. We didn’t win today, but we got a lot coming down the stretch.”
But the bottom line is the Heat needs to start winning games more consistently.
After Monday’s loss to the Celtics, the Heat entered Tuesday in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 25-26 record and just one game ahead of the ninth-place Orlando Magic. This is the latest in the season that the Heat has found itself below the .500 mark since Dwyane Wade’s final NBA season in 2018-19, when Miami closed with a regular-season record of 39-43 and missed the playoffs.
“Just trying to figure it out, my spots on the floor,” Wiggins continued. “All new teammates for me, so I’m going to figure it out. I enjoy the process.”
Wiggins was one of three players to make his Heat debut in Monday’s loss, as Miami acquired Wiggins, Davion Mitchell and Kyle Anderson when it traded Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors last week. Wiggins and Mitchell started the game, while Anderson was used off the bench.
Wiggins flashed different parts of his skill set that will help the Heat, like his on-ball defense and catch-and-shoot ability from behind the arc.
But like most players on the Heat’s roster, Wiggins had a rough night against the Celtics. He finished his first game in a Heat uniform with 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field, 2-of-8 shooting on threes, 3-of-3 shooting from the foul line, five rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block in 30 minutes.
Mitchell recorded four points on 2-of-8 shooting from the field and 0-of-4 shooting on threes, three rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes in his Heat debut. Anderson was scoreless and missed all five of his shot attempts in 10 minutes off the Heat’s bench.
“I see the potential in all three of them,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the team’s newcomers. “I think they will be big time value adds to what we’re trying to do. We want to get them as comfortable as possible. I think Wiggs, once he gets really comfortable, you can see the areas that he can help on both ends of the court. But he’s a weapon offensively. Defensively, he can really move. He has that kind of length and unique ability to move laterally. And then the other two guys, they’ll fit right in defensively with what we’re doing.”
The adjustment process continues for Wiggins, Mitchell and Anderson against the team with the NBA’s top record, as the Heat begins a two-game trip on Wednesday against the 43-9 Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center (8 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun).
“That’s the NBA for you,” said Wiggins, who turns 30 on Feb. 23. “It’s never going to be easy. Every game is going to be a dog fight, every game is important, especially for this team. I’m learning my way through. But at the end of the day, it’s basketball. I’ve been playing it since I was a kid. So I think I’ll be fine.”
The eventual return of the Heat’s leading scorer, Tyler Herro, should help Wiggins and others. Herro, who is averaging a team-high 23.7 points per game this season, missed his second game of the season on Monday because of a stomach illness.
“He’s an All-Star for a reason,” Wiggins said of Herro. “In the game, he’s going to score the ball, he’s going to create for other guys. He’s a very tough matchup. So I’m excited to get on the floor with him.”
Wiggins believes the on-court chemistry with his new Heat teammates “will come with time.” The problem is the Heat doesn’t have much time if it wants to avoid having to qualify for the playoffs through the NBA’s play-in tournament for the third straight season.
“Everyone has been just kind of showing me the way,” Wiggins said. “It’s been exciting. It’s Miami. We got great fans, great coaching staff, great teammates. So I’m excited to be here.”
With the NBA’s All-Star break just days away, Wiggins will use that time off to return to California to be with his family after recently celebrating the birth of his son.
“I just had a kid not too long ago,” he said. “So I’m just going to go back, be with my family, work out and get ready.”
All the while, Wiggins will continue to do his homework on the Heat’s system in an effort to fast-track his adjustment process — even if that means reading the Heat’s playbook to his newborn baby.
“He might enjoy it,” Wiggins said with a smile. “It might put him to sleep.”
