No, they are not the same person. Based on the title someone who knows nothing about sports would assume I’m claiming these people are the same person. Andrew Wiggins is from Canada and plays in the N.B.A. for the Golden State Warriors. Trevor Lawrence is from Georgia and plays in the N.F.L. for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Both these “stars,” were drafted number one overall and represented hope for the teams that drafted them. They were both given massive contracts by the team that drafted them despite few signs showing they deserved them.
The Chosen One
“From Wilt…To Manning…To Wiggins” That was the cover of Sports Illustrated ahead of the 2013-2014 college basketball season. Wiggins was hyped as the next big thing after a stellar high school career. He is still the highest-rated Kansas has ever landed according to 24/7Sports.
Wiggins had a solid year in college. He was a consensus All-American and led Kansas to a two-seed in the NCAA tournament. At Kansas, he shared the court with Joel Embiid, who was injured before the tournament.
Nothing led scouts to think Wiggins wasn’t the top pick overall. However, there was some Embiid buzz, but many draft experts felt he was too high of a risk for the top pick.
Wiggins was selected by the Cavs and then after LeBron James signed and didn’t want to play with him, Wiggins was traded to the Timberwolves.
Trevor Lawrence was nicknamed “Touchdown Jesus,” in high school. He is the third highest-rated recruit of all time by 24/7Sports. Like Wiggins, Lawrence went to a powerhouse school, Clemson. Due to rules, Lawrence had to stay in college for three seasons. However, after Lawrence’s first year in which he beat Alabama in the National Championship, he would’ve been the number one overall pick.
Lawrence was drafted by the Jaguars number one overall. Not many disagreed with the pick. Lawrence was supposed to achieve great things and no one in his class could challenge his collegiate resume.
Both Lawrence and Wiggins were considered generational talents and both were taken number one overall without much debate.
The Contracts
Andrew Wiggins’ contract extension in 2017 has to be the funniest in NBA history. It was a five-year extension worth $148 million. The reason it is so funny is because the owner of Wolves made Wiggins promise to be a better player. In the season that followed Andrew Wiggins averaged six fewer points than he did the year prior. He never increased his field goal percentage above 45% and his free throw percentage above 80% in the two in a half seasons after the extension. Wiggins got traded to Golden State in February 2020.
Wiggins never led the Wolves to more than 31 wins in the three seasons before the extension. He never made an All-Star season either.
In the three seasons before Trevor Lawrence signed his massive five-year $275 million contract extension, Lawrence played in 50 regular season games. He threw 39 interceptions and fumbled the ball 33 times. He won a playoff game, despite throwing four interceptions in the game, and never once threw for 30 touchdowns in any of those three seasons. In his best passing touchdown season, it ranked eighth overall.
After an 0-3 start to the season, the Jaguars will likely fire their head coach sometime this season. Lawrence has lost his last eight starts.
Both Wiggins and Lawrence were given top-of-the-market contracts before they had any success that matched those contracts.
Redemption for Trevor Lawrence
It’s crazy to write off any highly-rated quarterback in the NFL nowadays. After resurrections from Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, and Sam Darnold it’s easy to envision a scenario where Lawerence finds his groove. Lawrence, like Wiggins, will most likely never live up to the greatness that we thought they’d show coming into the pros. Despite this, it doesn’t mean Lawerence cannot still be a quality player in the pros.
Andrew Wiggins was counted out, and disregarded, and then, like magic, he came alive in the 2022 N.B.A. Finals. In games four and five against the Boston Celtics, Wiggins scored a combined 43 points and grabbed 29 rebounds to lead the Warriors to two wins. Wiggins was arguably the Warriors’ third or second-best player during that run. He figured something out, he found his role, and the Warriors rewarded him. Rewarding him was a horrible idea.
Last season Wiggins averaged 13 points and made $24 million.
Lawrence needs to find his “2022 Golden State Warriors,” situation, or maybe it needs to find him. Lawrence is still only 24 and has at least a decade left. It could take a change of scenery or hitting rock bottom for Lawrence to discover his true form.
Until that happens, Trevor Lawrence is Andrew Wiggins.
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Featured Image: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
