For the first time this season, Wiggins Island reemerged in the NBA’s internet archipelago.
A longtime joke among Warriors fans that dates back to 2021, Wiggins Island is Dubs fans’ version of Revis Island — a nicknamed earned by longtime shutdown New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who repeatedly marooned the offensive games of NFL wideouts in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Wiggins similarly stranded the efficiencies of opponents’ best players last postseason (he made Luka Doncic’s life hell) en route to an NBA title for the Dubs.
The joke — and accompanying hilarious Photoshop of De’Aaron Fox arriving via boat to an island imprinted with Wiggins’ face — started to regain social steam this week as the dust settled on Golden State’s Game 7 victory over the Sacramento Kings. The final stat line for Wiggins as the primary defender on Kings star De’Aaron Fox included a 37.5% shooting percentage (5 percentage points below his series average) and 10 turnovers in 35 matchup minutes. No one spent more time defending Fox in the seven-game series, and only one other player finished with double-digit minutes as Fox’s primary defender — Gary Payton II spent 12:50 matched up with the Kings All-Star (Payton actually fared even better than Wiggins, holding Fox to 28.6% shooting on 14 attempts).
Wiggins, who took a two-month absence from the Warriors to deal with a personal matter, won’t get much time to bask in last series’ defensive effort — he’s likely to draw considerable time guarding LeBron James starting Tuesday night (likely along with a host of others, including James’ best friend forever, Draymond Green), when the Warriors open the second round of the NBA playoffs against the seventh-seeded Lakers.
Wiggins has racked up almost 44 matchup minutes against James over the past six years, and has only managed to hold the NBA’s all-time leading scorer to 46.5% shooting from the field (he’s a career 50.5% shooter) and 35% from three (which is actually half a point better than James has been in his career). Wiggins has forced 1.25 James turnovers per game during 12 meetings matching up with the four-time NBA champ since the 2017-18 season.
Wiggins did have his best stretch against the Lakers superstar last season though, holding James to 31.8% shooting from the field and 27.3% from three, while forcing four turnovers in 15 matchup minutes. Tipoff on Tuesday night at Chase Center is set for 7 p.m.
