Andrew Wiggins lone KU representative for All-Star Weekend

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins (22) pushes up to the basket against New Orleans Pelican center Omer Asik (3) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, Jan. 23, 2015, in Minneapolis. The Pelicans won 92-84. (AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)

Looking for a ‘Hawks in the NBA fix this All-Star Weekend?

Your options are limited. That is, you only have one.

Of the 15 Kansas basketball players currently active in the Association, only one earned a spot in the league’s myriad of made-for-TV events this weekend in New York.

You won’t see a KU product in the All-Star Game. Paul Pierce (12.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists this season with Washington) is too old. Markieff Morris (15.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists with Phoenix) isn’t quite there, and plays in the loaded Western Conference.

You won’t find a Jayhawk in the slam dunk contest this weekend, either. (Though Andrew Wiggins obviously would have been an intriguing challenger.)


Not the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest.

Not even the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, nor the Degree Shooting Stars competition. (Yes, those are things that apparently exist.)

But you can watch Minnesota prodigy Wiggins in the Rising Stars Challenge — 8 p.m., Friday night on TNT.

It used to be that a team of rookies faced a team of second-year players in this showcase, and the league tried changing the setup before, but this year marks the first time for a brand new format: The U.S. vs. The World.

Canadian native Wiggins headlines the World Team, which also features Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, aka “The Greek Freak.”

The international up-and-comers will face the U.S. Team, featuring Philadelphia’s Michael Carter-Williams (the reigning Rookie of the Year) and Nerlens Noel, Orlando’s Victor Oladipo and Wiggins’ Minnesota teammate Zach LaVine, among others.

While Ben McLemore put on quite a show in the dunk contest last season, he didn’t get asked back to that event, or to represent his country in the Rising Stars game. So Wiggins is all KU fans of the NBA have to look forward to.

The 6-foot-8, soon to be 20-year-old (birthday coming up on Feb. 23) began playing at a higher level in January. And while his production has leveled off since finishing last month with a career-high 33 points against Cleveland, the team that drafted him, look at his numbers since Jan. 1:

18.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.0 turnovers, 45.9% FGs, 32.7% 3s, 79.6% FTs in 38.7 minutes.

Wiggins’ recent uptick has impressed many around the NBA, and his game became the subject of a TrueHoopTV blog earlier this week on ESPN.

While David Thorpe said the “Rising Stars” showcase for first- and second-year players doesn’t actually feature a whole lot of talent, Wiggins will be one of the exceptions.

“He’s amazing. He doesn’t really know
what he’s doing yet, but he knows more
than what he did,” Thorpe said, noting
the rookie’s ability to post up, hit
jumpers from mid-range and beyond the
3-point line and come up with
difficult offensive rebounds.

“He’s attacking crowds and making
plays above the crowd,” Thorpe said,
“which he is capable of doing.”

The TrueHoop analyst who spends a lot of time focusing on the NBA’s young guys also said Wiggins is playing harder now than he did the first couple weeks of the season, and the amazingly athletic small forward now better understands how to get to the middle of the paint.

If opponents try and defend Wiggins with a smaller player, Thorpe added, he will square up and shoot over him before help comes, and Wiggins makes it look easy.

Facing the league’s top team Wednesday, Wiggins didn’t have an amazing game by any means, scoring just 6 points on 3-for-7 shooting in 38 minutes versus Golden State. But he kept the young, struggling Timberwolves (11-42, last in the Western Conference) competitive in a 94-91 loss.

First-year Golden State coach Steve Kerr, whose Warriors own the league’s best record, at 42-9, said before the game between the two teams on the opposite end of the NBA’s power spectrum Wiggins is a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year.

“I don’t even know who else would be
in the conversation,” Kerr said. “He’s
going to be an All-Star (in the
future). He’s a terrific player, a
good talent, and it looks like he’s
figuring out the NBA game. … He’s
really going to be a good player.”

Here’s a look at some of what the young star-in-the-making already has done to grab the league’s attention.

— Keep up with the production of all the ‘Hawks in the NBA daily at KUsports.com.

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