Junior Aaron Wiggins received the midweek news that he was one of 40 draft prospects invited to the NBA G League Elite Camp set to start on Saturday. It will mark yet another opportunity for Wiggins to boost his draft stock as Wiggins has taken in a slew of private workouts with teams. The Celtics and Cavaliers are among the teams that have worked out Wiggins so far while the Warriors were the latest team to bring him in on Thursday. With one more workout scheduled ahead of the combine, Wiggins is basking in all the evaluation before he makes a final decision to either return to College Park or pursue his NBA career.
“It’s just all about how I feel after we got the combine coming up. I have a couple more workouts after the combine and stuff, just dependent on how I feel, what I’ve heard and speaking with my family, the agent that I hired so just getting a feel for all of that and seeing how things play out will play into my decision and whether I return or keep my name in the draft,” Wiggins said following his workout with the Warriors. “Ideally I want to be a first-rounder. Want to hear promises, guarantees of me getting drafted but it all depends on how I feel and what I’m hearing and the conversation I have with my parents after the entire process is over.”
Heading into the G League Elite Camp, Wiggins still has work to do in order to attain the first-round grade but understands that the invitation gives him an opportunity to elevate his stock in front of a larger group of teams. At a minimum, going through the draft process while maintaining eligibility gives college players an opportunity to uncover specific areas and weaknesses to improve on to elevate their NBA chances down the line but so far, Wiggins has heard about how he fits the NBA game.
“I’ve gotten back pretty good feedback. The things that I’ve heard, I’ve liked for the most part and I’m kind of continuing to get a feel of where I stand and how teams see me and I’m just continuing to take the process one day at a time, one workout at a time. With the combine coming up, I’ll be able to work out in front of more teams, I’ll be able to show more. Just continuing to get a feel for it all and not rushing anything.” With time dwindling ahead of the July 7 deadline to return or keep his name in the NBA Draft, Wiggins is looking to put his full skill set on display beginning this weekend.
“Just trying to show my ability to handle the ball, make the right reads, make the right plays. I think a lot of teams, they know that coming out of my freshman year with what I displayed in college know that I can shoot the ball. Just trying to show my other abilities such as guarding the ball, guarding more than just one position and offensively, being a threat on multiple levels,” Wiggins added. “I think with my natural physique, my height, my weight, my wingspan, all of that just kind of fits NBA style so I know that’s something that a lot of teams really like about me.”
Wiggins also confirmed that he has stayed in contact with the Maryland staff through the process.
“I’ve talked to a couple of the coaches. I haven’t talked to the new one from South Carolina who Turgeon just hired but I’ve been in contact with them. I know they’re doing workouts and the guys are working hard so continuing to keep them up-to-date with what’s going on with me and just hearing how the team is doing.” What’s the message from the staff been through this point? “They’re confident in me. They know that I’ve prepared for the opportunity in front of me but they’ve just kind of told me go in there, play confident, have fun, enjoy the process. They kind of tell me to be myself and do the things I’ve always done so that’s all I’m sticking with.”