The Oklahoma City Thunder's greatest strength this season has been their depth.
With Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein, Ajay Mitchell, and even Alex Caruso missing extended time over the course of the campaign, the Thunder had to dig deep into their coffers of talent to finish with another dominant regular season showing. In the process, some of their peripheral contributors carried the load.
Jared McCain took on a major role after his acquisition, only to be sidelined down the stretch as the team got back to full health. Isaiah Joe and Cason Wallace took on heavy offensive loads for a stretch in order to compensate for these losses. Even Jaylin Williams stepped up, earning 11 starts on the season.
But Aaron Wiggins, who was a highly important piece during last year's playoff run, has consistently struggled to find his form after he missed most of November with an adductor strain. With another rough performance in Oklahoma City's season finale, his fate has been sealed.
He won't be a part of the Thunder's playoff rotation, and he'll have to earn his way back next season.
Aaron Wiggins' final outing is a fitting ending for an overall disappointing year
Much has been said about the Thunder's sub-par 3-point shooting throughout their 2024-25 championship run. For the most part, these characterizations are true. But the importance of players like Wiggins and Joe during that stretch can't be understated.
Although Wiggins averaged just 13.8 minutes over the course of the playoffs, he shot 36.2% from 3-point range on moderate volume. Joe shot 41.1%. As lengthy, defensively capable wings, both Wiggins and Joe became pieces the Thunder could slot in and leverage at the right moments to give themselves an offensive boost.
This season has been much different for Wiggins. Since his return from injury in late November, he's shot just 33.8% from beyond the arc. Since Feb. 1, that number has fallen to 31.4%.
It became clear that Wiggins likely was not going to make the playoff rotation in the Thunder's last matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. Wiggins played just under four minutes on the night, entering the game with the rest of the bench crew once Oklahoma City had essentially wrapped it up.
His start against the Phoenix Suns, when the Thunder were resting all of their starters apart from Lu Dort, served as further confirmation. Would Wiggins have been able to force his way into the playoff rotation even with an excellent offensive performance?
Probably not.
But he finished with just three points on 1-of-7 shooting from the field. It's, unfortunately, a representation of what this season has been for Wiggins.
The good news is that he's slated to make just over $10 million next season. His contract is cheap enough that he likely will not be affected by the Thunder's efforts to reshape the roster this offseason. He'll eventually get his chance to work his way back into the playoff core.
But for now, his fate has temporarily been sealed.
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