A number of reserves on this OKC Thunder roster have been receiving a considerable amount of attention this summer.
From the buzz about the long-awaited rookie season debut of Nikola Topic to the seemingly ascending stock of junior guard Cason Wallace, this Oklahoma City second unit has drawn in a ton of praise and notice from fans and pundits alike over these last few months.
However, amid the heightened chatter, it seems that arguably the club's biggest X-factor, Aaron Wiggins, has somehow been forgotten and overshadowed by these splashier name running mates.
Despite lack of attention, Aaron Wiggins is still biggest Thunder X-factor
Though perhaps not the star talent that both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams are, nor the physical specimen that Chet Holmgren is, Wiggins has undoubtedly proven himself as a staple within this Thunder core.
During their title-winning campaign, the 26-year-old found himself ranking near the top of the team in a plethora of key statistical categories.
Among those who played at least 50 games on the year, Wiggins wrapped up 2024-25 with an average of 12.0 points per game (fourth-highest) on 48.8 percent shooting from the floor (fourth-best) and 38.3 percent shooting from deep (fourth-best).
More importantly, however, he finished the year off with the fifth-best plus/minus rating (+6.8), third-best defensive rating (106.6), and second-best offensive rating (120.7).
Throughout his four-year tenure with the Thunder, the Maryland product has continued to improve with every passing season, as well as showcase his enviable abilities as a reliable spark plug weapon off the pine.
With his crafty handles and smooth jumper, Wiggins is able to create scoring looks from the mid-to-long range with relative ease, while his quick first step and impressive length (6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan) make him a true problem for opposing defenses when attacking the lane.
The cherry on top of his offensive game is that he's a highly reliable catch-and-shoot sniper who boasted a 58.1 effective field goal percentage in such sets, making him both a tremendous offensive initiator on his own as well as a trusty off-ball helper.
While the rest of the world seems to be fixated on some of his second-unit cohorts, Thunder fans understand who the real X-factor of this bench collection is.
Since joining the organization back in 2021, he's steadily maneuvered his way toward earning such a label. Excitingly enough, while lost in the offseason shadow of guys like Wallace and Topic, it appears he's been working hard to keep it.