Aaron Wiggins is feeling and feeding in to the Hawks’ hunger for success
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — New Hawks wing Aaron Wiggins has spent less than three months with the team, but said he feels the hunger to best the result of last season’s playoff exit.
“Everybody here, obviously, you know, with the way the season ended last year amongst this crew, there’s a hunger from these guys,” Wiggins said Wednesday.
“So, coming here, regardless of my experiences, it’s obviously in the past, but there’s a lot that I can bring and I can take from my experiences.
“So, there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs that come with the season. But in the same sense, this team is hungry and ready to learn, so we’re excited to grow with each other and face the season.”
The Hawks officially acquired Wiggins on July 6, looking to add more spacing and defense to their roster. The 27-year-old, like former Thunder and now Hawks teammate Lu Dort, brings championship experience that could pay off in close games and postseason situations.
Wiggins and the Hawks have a little bit of time before they have to think about that, though.
With just two days of training camp behind the Hawks, the team remains in the information gathering stage of the exhibition season. Although things will evolve over the season, the Hawks have yet to define the roles of their new players.
“I expect there to be just more of an opportunity for me, consistently,” Wiggins said. “But in the same sense, things will carve out themselves, and you’ll see, just amongst the team, roles kind of fill out. So, guys (will) understand each other’s play style and are continuing to learn each other, and you’ll start to see the camaraderie and chemistry on the court.”
Last season, Wiggins averaged 9.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists over 65 games. He shot 35.6% from 3.
So, although the Hawks haven’t given Wiggins a definitive stance on what his role will be, he said he can’t help but feel optimistic about the opportunity ahead. The Hawks have had back-to-back Most Improved Players of the Year — Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker — the first time a team has had consecutive winners in NBA history.
But Wiggins isn’t necessarily chasing an individual end-of-season league award.
“Players definitely see it,” Wiggins said when asked about the Hawks’ record in developing free agents. “I obviously see it, but my ultimate goal isn’t chasing that. My ultimate goal is to fit into this team and help this team be better.
“And there’s a goal at the end of the road that we’re all trying to have. So, I can’t get distracted by the little things on the side. In the same sense, it’s obviously existent and it’s something that’s going to be talked about. But my focus is on this team.”
The rest of the Hawks share Wiggins’ focus for the season ahead, and of training camp.
“That’s what it takes to be a winning team,” he said. “That’s what it takes to have success throughout the season, is the focus on the team. There’s an identity that we have to have, and everybody has to be bought into it. So far, up until this point, everybody’s been locked in and kind of just keyed in on getting better individually, obviously, but putting the pieces together so that, as a team, we’re sharp.”