Andrew Wiggins was all smiles in Las Vegas on Monday.
And perhaps the NBA's reigning rookie of the year should be content. After all, it appears Wiggins and the Timberwolves could be playing for relatively high stakes next season.
Speaking after Minnesota's summer-league shootaround in Las Vegas on Monday, Wiggins sounded excited for the 2015-16 season. During the upcoming campaign, Wiggins will be playing alongside future hall-of-famer Kevin Garnett again (after Garnett re-upped with the Wolves for two more seasons last week) and with another prized, No. 1 overall draft pick like himself, big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
Wiggins played 36.2 minutes per game last season, so he's understandably thrilled to get all the help he can get. Garnett, for starters, should provide aid both on and off the court.
"I enjoyed my first year with him," Wiggins told NBA.com of Garnett, a 15-time NBA all-star. "I feel like we're gonna get better (and) he's going to have more wisdom to share with me and the team.
"He's one of the all-time greats," Wiggins added of Garnett. He's a "legend, one of the best-ever to do it. So, whatever he does, or whatever he says . . . or how he says stuff emotionally is gonna touch us, and motivate us to play better."
Wiggins, who's largely just observing summer-league action in Las Vegas, has been equally impressed with Minnesota rookie Towns. Wiggins has been particulary impressed with the Kentucky product's solid all-around game. In Las Vegas, Towns, at 6-foot-11 and around 250 pounds, has passed well, rebounded solidly, and displayed a fair amount of explosiveness around the rim.
"You know, a big man that can pass to the degree he passes is great to have on the team," Wiggins said of Towns, last season's SEC Freshman of the Year.
Towns "does it all," Wiggins continued. ". . . "He's a playmaker for others. He can score the basketball, great rebounder."
This will be a busy summer for Wiggins, a Toronto native who said he plans to play in an upcoming Olympic-qualifying contest. The 20-year-old swing man, who played last season at around 199 pounds, is also attempting to sculpt his physique, packing additional muscle onto his 6-8 frame.
Wiggins -- who averaged 16.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as a rookie -- is relieved, however, that he probably won't have to shoulder such a heavy load next season, assuming teammates like Towns and Garnett produce as expected and stay healthy.
Regardless, Wiggins has plans to ante up in the weight room for the rest of the offseason.
"It would be good to gain weight," Wiggins noted, smiling. "I'm trying. I've got fast metabolism."
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