Andrew Wiggins, 30, averaged 19.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 17 games with the Miami Heat last season. (Cole Burston/Getty Images)
This upcoming season will be a big one for Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins.
As the headliner of the Jimmy Butler trade, Wiggins’ abbreviated stint with the Heat a year ago was a disappointing one — marred by injury and inconsistency.
And a recent ranking reflects his underwhelming season.
According to a recently published HoopsHype ranking, Wiggins placed as the 23rd-best (of 26) small forward in the NBA heading into the 2025-26 season.
“Another Canadian swingman, former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins never quite lived up to the expectations as a first-overall pick,” HoopsHype’s Frank Urbina wrote. “But he’s still a solid starter in the NBA, in large part thanks to his pull-up scoring, his slashing ability off the ball, his explosiveness near the basket and his solid defense. Wiggins has good foot speed laterally, long arms and competes well on the less glamorous end of the floor.
“He may lack nightly consistency as a scorer – there’s even question as to how much he cares to reach his full potential (at this point, it’s never happening) – but Wiggins is so talented that he’s still developed into a championship-level starter.”
Even after a down season, Andrew Wiggins’ ranking is way too low:
Wiggins only played in 17 of the 32 possible games post-trade due to myriad injuries. In that sample, he averaged 19.0 points and 4.2 rebounds on 45.8/36.0/73.1 shooting splits.
However, outside of a two-game sample against the Houston Rockets and Charlotte Hornets — where he scored 72 combined points on 26-of-34 shooting (8-12 3PT) — the 30-year-old forward averaged just 16.7 points on 51.4 percent true shooting with Miami.
That said, when you say a ranking is too high or too low, you have to ask yourself: “Which player(s) would I rank said player below, or in this case, above?”
Let’s talk about it!
Among the names that he’s listed behind include Ben Mathurin (22), Brandon Miller (21), Luguentz Dort (19), Paul George (18) and DeAndre Hunter (17). I think there’s a legitimate case he could rank above most, if not all, of those players.
Mathurin’s a very crafty shot-maker, but his role and overall impact in Indiana’s rotation has fluctuated across the last two seasons; Miller could easily slide up this list and is the one player, of the aforementioned names, I’d probably rank above Wiggins; Dort is one of the best defenders in the NBA, so I don’t have much of a problem that he’s a top-20 forward; George’s health and impact have steeply declined, and he’s not getting any younger; Hunter broke out last season, but I need to see more consistency from him both as a scorer and defender.
New Heat wing Norman Powell clocks in as the 12th-best on this list. As much as Powell helps the Heat, I don’t think there’s an 11-spot gap between the two. Butler was dubbed the 8th-best.
A few other names that I’d rank Wiggins similarly to are Jaden McDaniels (15), Brandon Ingram (14) and Michael Porter Jr. (13). Mavericks standout rookie Cooper Flagg (20) should be higher because of his potential, but I understand why he isn’t (hasn’t played an NBA game yet).
Shuffle those however you’d like, but they’d be in a similar tier to the Heat’s two-way wing. The initial ranking doesn’t suggest that’s the case, which I respectfully disagree with.
All of that is not to say that Wiggins was good with the Heat last year. Relative to expectation, he wasn’t — in the regular season or playoffs.
But I still believe in the player and the pedigree. Andrew Wiggins is in his physical prime and now has a full offseason to adjust as the team’s secondary/tertiary creator and best multi-positional defender (not named Bam Adebayo).
What do you think about his ranking? Let us know in the comments!
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