Former Maryland guard Aaron Wiggins has been drafted with the 55th overall pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Wiggins becomes the seventh former Terp drafted since 2016, though just two of those selections were first-round picks. The decision from Wiggins to remain in the NBA Draft or return to Maryland didn’t come lightly as he announced just one day ahead of the deadline.
Since Wiggins’ decision to declare for the NBA Draft, the former Terp excelled in team workouts as he drew a wide array of interest, such as the Celtics, Nets, Timberwolves, Warriors, Celtics, and Hawks among others. Wiggins was a standout performer at the G League Elite Camp in June, scoring 26 total points on 10-of-17 shooting through two games, and drew an invitation to the NBA Combine.
Wiggins earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten accolades this past season as a junior, averaging 14.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 33.0 minutes/g. He played his best basketball down the stretch, averaging 17.9 points (.506 FG/.408 3FG) and 6.6 rebounds over the final 12 games.
Wiggins’ body of work through his three seasons at Maryland gave credence to his NBA Draft potential. He joined Glenn Clark Radio earlier this week and explained what motivated him to remain in the 2021 NBA Draft. “Going into the NBA Draft process, I wasn’t expected to be anywhere, to be on the draft board or have any chance of getting drafted. I think I did a lot for myself at team workouts, at the G League Elite Camp, NBA Combine, and that just kind of changed the route for me,” he said. “I had to really sit down and just weigh out whether or not I had to continue to take the opportunity and go two feet in or return to school, hoop with a great team and we can have a great run in the next season. Ultimately, I just had to go with what my heart wanted and that was just to kind of continue on and take the opportunity, ride the momentum that I had coming off the combine and the workouts, and just move forward.”
The Thunder had a busy night on Thursday as they began cashing in on the gradual accumulation of draft picks. In addition to Wiggins, the Thunder selected former NBL star Josh Giddy, former Florida guard Tre Mann, and former Villanova big Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. After finishing with the second-worst record in the Western Conference last season, the Thunder acquired point guard Kemba Walker this offseason as the franchise enters year two of a rebuild. Oklahoma City entered Thursday night with 18 first-round picks over the next seven drafts.