It wasn’t perfect, but the Atlanta Hawks got the job done in their season opener against the Orlando Magic. They picked up a win, and Aaron Wiggins was one of the most important players on the court. His 31:45 minutes were the second-most on the team (behind only Dyson Daniels). Not only that, he played the final 17:45 of the game. He’s clearly already entered Quin Snyder’s circle of trust.
And that’s great news. Snyder was clearly smart to trust Wiggins in the manner he did. Wiggins’ three-point shooting and defensive presence fit in perfectly with the Hawks’ lineup, and he was a huge reason why Atlanta was able to close out Wednesday night’s game with a victory.
Without Wiggins, the Hawks may not have won the game. So, yes, he is very clearly part of Snyder’s inner circle now. It didn’t take him long to earn that.
Quin Snyder already has so much faith in Aaron Wiggins
When the Hawks traded for Wiggins this summer, it made perfect sense on paper. He’s a good three-point shooter, a solid defender, and a decent shot-creator, too. There just weren’t enough minutes to go around on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
OKC needed to move him to save money, so the Hawks landed him without having to give much up. And now, the move that made so much sense on paper is already making sense on the court.
In his first regular-season game with the Hawks, Wiggins was great. Obviously, he played a ton of minutes, proving to be one of Snyder’s favorites, but the stats were there, too.
By the end of the night, Wiggins had tallied 16 points, three rebounds, and two steals. He shot 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the three-point arc.
If the Hawks can get those numbers from Wiggins on a nightly basis, he may even earn a chance to be a member of the starting lineup sooner rather than later.
Obviously, it’s going to be a long season. Wiggins has a long way to go before he can do that on a nightly basis. He has to keep earning trust from Snyder and his teammates.
But clearly, he’s already done a pretty good job of that so far. Snyder wouldn’t just play anybody for the final 17:45 minutes of a close contest. He very obviously believes in Wiggins.
And after watching what Wiggins brought to the table against the Magic, it makes sense why Snyder would feel that way.
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