Wolves' Andrew Wiggins Named Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December
Wolves' Andrew Wiggins Named Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December
Wiggins becomes the first Wolves player to win award twice in a season
Minneapolis/St. Paul The NBA today named Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins as its Kia NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December. This is the second consecutive month Wiggins has earned the honor, becoming the first Timberwolves player to win the award multiple times in the same season.
Wiggins led all Western Conference rookies in scoring (14.6 ppg) and minutes played (33.9) during December, while ranking 2nd in blocks (0.6 bpg), 3rd in rebounding (4.1 rpg) and 4th in steals (0.87 spg). He tallied 20+ points five times during the month, and was the Wolves top scorer on four occasions. Wiggins finished the month averaging 20.0 points on 50.8% shooting during the team's month-closing four-game road trip.
Perhaps his best performance came on Dec. 10 vs. Portland, as Wiggins recorded his first double-double with 23 points and a season-high 10 rebounds in Minnesota's win over Portland, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to record a 20-point/10-rebound game. He scored a team-high 27 points at Cleveland on Dec. 23, and three nights later poured in 22 points at Denver.
Originally selected by the Cleveland with the 1st overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Wiggins was acquired by the Wolves on Aug. 23, 2014 in a three-team trade. This season he leads all qualified rookies in scoring (13.8 ppg) and minutes (31.8 mpg), while ranking 4th in steals (1.09 spg) and blocks (0.53 bpg), 5th in rebounding (4.1 rpg) and 9th in assists (1.4 apg).