（文：J.M. Poulard / 2017年3月8日）
職業體育中有這樣一句諺語：潛力會殺死你。以犧牲短期或中期利益為代價去換取一個有希望的未來，這是許多經理和教練被炒魷魚的原因。
There’s an old saying in professional sports that potential will get you killed. Valuing a prospective future at the expense of immediate or medium-term production is a recipe that can get executives and coaches fired.
這句話適用於明尼蘇達灰狼的後衛Andrew Wiggins嗎？
Does this apply to Minnesota Timberwolves guard Andrew Wiggins?
考慮到近三個賽季他的進步這一點，這是一個極好的問題。
It’s a fascinating question given that the way he’s evolved through three seasons in the league.
隨著Wiggins的經驗更加豐富，能夠更好地拿捏出手時機，他的投籃選擇有所進步。由於他的處理球能力，他是灰狼現在打擋拆時常規運用的一個點。
Wiggins’ shot selection has improved as he’s gained experience and acquired a better grasp of where to get his looks from, and his ball-handling is now at a point where the Timberwolves can regularly utilize Wiggins in pick-and-rolls.
他演變成了一個頗有效率的得分手，能在對位中能從對手那佔到便宜。那些力量不足且消極防守的矮個球員在對位Wiggins時會陷入麻煩，因為他會在低位區域懲罰換防後的他們。
He’s morphed into a somewhat efficient scorer who can take advantage of the opposition in the right matchups. Passive diminutive players that lack strength are in trouble against Wiggins, because he will punish them on switches in the low-post area.
他進攻能力的提升讓絕大多數總經理垂涎三尺，想要圍繞他建隊。Wiggins才22歲，他看起來有可能進化成第二個Tracy McGrady或者Paul George。
That growth in his offensive game will make most general managers salivate at the idea of building a nucleus around him. After all, Wiggins is only 22 years old, and he seems poised potentially to evolve as the second coming of Tracy McGrady or Paul George.
6尺8的Wiggins是聯盟中最具運動天分的球員之一。在這個越來越多的球隊加快節奏和拉開空間的聯盟裡，他似乎註定成為一個明星球員。隨著空間的拉開，Wiggins有了額外的機會在運球後完成進攻，以及在籃下完成終結。
The 6’8’’ Wiggins is one of the most athletic players in the league, and he appears destined for stardom in a league where more and more franchises are adopting the pace and space identity for their teams. With increased spacing, Wiggins would get additional opportunities to attack off the bounce and finish at the basket.
儘管情況還並非如此，但是評估他現在如何以及未來的發展時這一點很重要。
That isn’t the case yet, though, which is important to note when assessing where he is now and what the future holds.
灰狼三分佔比在聯盟排在倒數第三位，三分出手數倒數第二。也就是說，Wiggins一直在人堆中穿行，這導致了他的投籃質量不高。
The Wolves are a bottom-third team in the league when it comes to 3-point percentage and sit next to last in attempts. In other words, Wiggins is consistently navigating in traffic, thus preventing him from consistently manufacturing quality shot attempts.
看看下錶中給出的兩英尺內有人防守時他的出手佔比，以及與其他外線得分手比較時他的處境：
Have a look below at the percentage of shots he takes with his defender within zero-to-two feet worth’s of distance, and how he fares when compared to other perimeter scorers:
Wiggins是表中唯一一個兩英尺或更短距離內有防守人時投籃出手數超過20%的人。同時他的投籃命中率倒數第二。
Wiggins is the only player in the group to take over 20 percent of his field goals against a defender within two feet of distance or less. Also, he has the lowest field-goal percentage in that setting.
這其中一部分原因是上文提及的他在人堆中打球，但是也有一部分歸咎於他自己。他沒有很好地觀察場上形勢，這導致他被防守人包圍時會錯失自己的空位隊友。
Part of that is a product of the personnel around him as previously mentioned, but Wiggins deserves some blame as well. He does not view the floor well and as a result will miss some of his open teammates when crowded by defenders.
據NBA.com顯示，灰狼經常把22號（Wiggins）當做一個擋拆球處理人，像人們之前猜測的那樣，他大多數時候都處在平均水準。由於沒有可以在場上拉開空間的人，對手很容易就能收縮防守。Wiggins不擅長於帶球跑動，這限制了他可以跑動的區域。
The Wolves often utilize No. 22 as a pick-and-roll ball handler, where as one would guess it, he’s average on most days, per NBA.com. The lack of surrounding floor spacers makes it easy for opponents to collapse on these plays, and Wiggins isn’t great (yet) at getting from one spot to the next while handling the ball in traffic, which limits the areas he can access.
改變這種情況的一種方法是顛倒進攻佈置，將有射程的前場球員安排在外線，而Wiggins在低位持球進攻。他在背身單打併轉身跳投上頗為高效，但是在面對積極的防守人時會陷入麻煩。
One way to counter that is by inverting the offense by stationing frontcourt players – within shooting range – on the perimeter while Wiggins operates near the block. He is effective at backing down his man and turning around for a jump shot, but he faces issues against active defenders.
由於他上肢力量不足，他很難在等球傳到他時站好位置並對抗。另外，甚至他拿著球時，對抗能把他頂開的大個球員也頗為困難。
Because he lacks upper body strength, it’s difficult to maintain position and seal his player as he awaits for the ball to find him. What’s more, even when he is in possession of the ball, Wiggins will have trouble against bulkier defenders that can push him off his spot.
這恰恰是Wiggins這賽季打聖安東尼奧馬刺隊頗為吃力的原因。Kawhi Leonard對他進行身體對抗並干擾他每一次移動。在三場比賽中，Wiggins投籃44中14（31.8%的命中率）且轉移球超過十次。的確，很少有球員能真正搞定倫納德，所以倫納德對Wiggins做的顯得沒有那麼致命。
Wiggins has struggled against the San Antonio Spurs this season precisely because of this. Kawhi Leonard has swarmed him with his physical defense and bothered his every move. In three games, Wiggins has made 14-of-44 (31.8 percent) shots and turned the ball over 10 times. Granted, few players have actually solved the Kawhi riddle, so it’s not a damning fact that Leonard has given Wiggins fits.
然而，他在比賽中也有弱點，其他隊伍已經利用了他的缺陷。
However, there are weaknesses in his game that other teams have been able to exploit.
比如說，他不是一個很棒的甚至不怎麼樣的空位射手。根據NBA.com統計，甚至他的外圍空位投籃命中率僅有37.4%（6英尺內沒有防守人時）。考慮到他只擅長籃下終結，這就有點問題了。
For instance, he is not a great or even good open shooter. Indeed, NBA.com tells us that he only converts 37.4 percent of his wide open shots (no defender within six feet), which is somewhat problematic given that he doesn`t excel at anything other than finishing at the rim.
更重要的是，上肢力量不足使他在掩護（在這方面最多算是平均水平）和防守端表現很一般。
What’s more, his lack of upper body strength makes routine appearances in screen setting (average at best on this front) and on defense.
Wiggins也苦惱於作掩護和拼搶籃板球，他在節目中對ESPN.com的Brian Windhorst承認了這一點：
Wiggins gets hung up on picks and gets pushed around for rebounds, which he acknowledged to ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst coming into this campaign:
「我看了我的技術統計，我覺得就像‘我太大而壯以至於平均一場拿不到三個籃板’」，Wiggins說，「許多人都能得分，而你還能做點其他的什麼嗎？」
「I looked at my stats, and I was like, ‘I’m too big and too athletic to average three rebounds a game,’」 Wiggins said. 「A lot of people can score. What else can you do?」
他有足夠的自知之明，知道自己的不足，並且每年都在逐步改進。這意味著他還會繼續成長。
He is self-aware enough to understand his limitations and has taken steps every year to correct them little by little, and that suggests his growth mindset will remain.
如果我是明尼蘇達總經理，這些細節可能會影響我，或許到決定他是否一份頂薪時會有些猶豫。
If I were the Minnesota general manager, some of these details would concern me and perhaps lead to some hesitation when it came time to decide on whether or not he is worth a max extension.
然後，我也不得不意識到，如果說有哪個世界的球隊不會給他頂薪，那顯然是荒唐的。
And then, one would be forced to come to the realization that it’s absurd to even contemplate a world where Wiggins does not get paid.
畢竟，這個三年級生二月份才22歲，現在已經能在場上每36分鐘能拿到22.5分，命中率有46%。
After all, the third-year player turned 22 in February and is averaging 22.5 points per 36 minutes while shooting 46 percent from the field.
他的得分和效率值逐年上升，回頭看他剛進聯盟的表現，這就頗為引人注目。事實上，在新秀賽季，Wiggins離奇地在毫無意義的常規進攻中扮演著配角。他被迫為自己力爭在Kevin Martin，Thaddeus Young，Ricky Rubio，Nikola Pekovic，Shabazz Muhammad和Mo Williams身邊尋找投籃機會。
His scoring and efficiency have risen every year, which is somewhat remarkable considering where he started. Indeed, during his rookie season, Wiggins was a weird cog in a democratic offense that made little sense. He was forced to fend for himself and find shots alongside Kevin Martin, Thaddeus Young, Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic, Shabazz Muhamad and Mo Williams.
考慮到他在進攻端把握投籃位置的經驗還不足，他很難找到自己的方式。所以他不能很好適應球隊計劃，他就打轉換進攻，並嘗試去拼搶前場籃板。
It was difficult for Wiggins to find his way in this setting given that he lacked the experience to understand where to get his shots in the offense. Thus, he got out in transition and tried to attack the offensive glass given his imperfect fit in the team scheme.
他總是被迫站著看別人運球，直到最後在看起來不大舒服的點接球。因為他的處理球很糟糕，他被迫呆在外線，只能期待其他人能為他創造機會。
He was often forced to stand around and watch others operate before the ball eventually found him in seemingly uncomfortable spots. Because he was a poor ball handler, he was incredibly limited on the perimeter and had to hope others would create for him.
這就是為什麼在他的新秀賽季他有60%出頭的機率在投籃前不運球或者只運一次球。今非昔比，如今的Wiggins已經在聯盟的頂尖得分手之列了（場均得分聯盟13），而且他的得分方式多種多樣。
This is why a little over 60 percent of his field-goal attempts came with either zero or one dribble in his rookie season. Contrast that with today, Wiggins is now among the top scorers in the league (ranks 13 in points per game), and he is doing this in a variety of ways.
ESPN記者Zach Lowe指出，Wiggins或將成為一名偉大的球員：
「我現在依舊堅信在長遠來看，他會取得成功。Wiggins會成為全明星。他能否成為聯盟前十甚至前五的球員呢？或許不能。但是什麼時候這變成了評判成功的標準？什麼時候只要沒達到就是失敗者了？」
As ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe noted, there’s a great player coming soon:
「I’m still betting big on his long-term success. Wiggins will be an All-Star. Will he be a top-5 or even a top-10 player? Maybe not. But when did that become the standard? When did anything but that become a failure?」
他已經進化成為一個平均水準的三分射手（頭兩年低於平均水準），同時進化成了一個能夠支配球的球員，他能策動第二次擋拆，在比賽裡他的背身也頗具威脅。Wiggins仍在努力去閱讀比賽形勢，但是這是真正意義上的頭一年，他必須得去不斷分析防守人群從哪來的。
He has evolved into an average 3-point shooter (was subpar his first two years), has improved as a ball handler to the point where he can run secondary pick-and-rolls and is a legit post-up threat in the right matchups. Wiggins is still adjusting at reading the floor, but it’s really the first year where he’s really had to consistently figure out where the swarms are coming from.
他正在步入一個調整期，他讓自己轉變成一個全面的球員必須保證訓練量，甚至可能需要更多訓練。明尼蘇達總教練兼籃球運營總裁湯姆-Thibodeau也這樣堅信著。
He is going through an adjustment period, and he will have to maintain the workload and potentially even increase it to turn himself into a complete player. Minnesota head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau believes so as well.
據明星論壇報（明尼阿里波斯市）的Jerry Zgoda報導，Thibodeau說：「我想要Wiggins進步，變得更好，在攻防兩端都很出色。他能做到所有他想完成的事。但是他得投入工作。」
「I want Wigg to improve, to get better, to be strong on both sides of the ball,」 Thibodeau stated, according to the Minneapolis StarTribune’s Jerry Zgoda. 「He can make this whatever he wants it to be. But he’s got to work.’’
確實，他還在進步的過程中，但是目前而言，他比兩年前的表現要好上幾光年。Wiggins過去十場比賽讓人們窺見了他可能擁有的未來。他場均28.9分，4.1個籃板，2.1個抄截，整體命中率達到了50.2%，其中長距離命中率38.9% 。
Sure, he’s a work in progress, but he’s light years ahead of where he stood two seasons ago at this point. Heck, Wiggins’ last 10 games offer a glimpse into what the future might possibly hold. He’s averaging 28.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals on 50.2 percent shooting overall and 38.9 percent from long range.
夥計們，這可是Kawhi Leonard級別的表現。
That’s Kawhi territory folks.
而這正是三年級生Wiggins現在最大的困擾。
That’s the biggest issue plaguing Wiggins in Year 3.
人們的期待。
Expectations.
人們很容易忽視他多麼年輕，而且經驗還不豐富，所以期待他現在就加入精英行列，卻忘記了這個聯盟裡的大多數頂尖運動員第三個賽季前後還在上升期。
One easily forgets how young and inexperienced he is, and thus expect him to join the elite now while forgetting that most of the top players in the league truly ascended right around their third seasons in the NBA.
人們想要Wiggins差不多成為一個恐怖的千載難逢的球員，但是在確定他是否能成長成那樣至少還需要一年才能知道。在某個階段，過程可能平淡無奇，但他已經在不斷自我突破，這意味著Wiggins在逐年進步，到達頂尖球員行列。
As much as one would like for Wiggins to become a terrorizing once-in-a-generation force, it will take at least another year before it’s known for sure whether he has that in him. The process may be mundane on some level, but he has continuously augmented his repertoire, which suggests Wiggins will improve on a year-to-year basis and reach the elite.
潛力和成果都有，這告訴我們Wiggins在接下去很長一段時間裡都會很出色。
The potential coupled with production is there, and that tells me Wiggins will be good for a long time coming.
我們應該就這樣去看待Wiggins。
That’s what we should all make of him.
