National Basketball Association

Can Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins win Finals MVP?

Published Jun. 15, 2022 10:57 a.m. ET

Andrew Wiggins' 26-point performance in Game 5 of the NBA Finals led the Golden State Warriors to a 104-94 victory, putting them up 3-2 in the series against the Boston Celtics.

The NBA is a hot-take league, and after a second straight special performance by Wiggins coupled with Stephen Curry's lackluster night, the question has sparked: Can Wiggins win Finals MVP?

How Wiggins can slide into NBA Finals MVP conversation

Steph Curry’s record streak of 233 consecutive games with a made 3-pointer came to an end in Game 5. But according to FOX Bet, Curry remains the heavy Finals MVP favorite with the Warriors up 3-2. Skip Bayless breaks down how Andrew Wiggins can challenge Steph's case for the illustrious award.

Skip Bayless isn't predicting that Wiggins will win the award, but he can see a pathway to the Warriors' small forward doing so.

"He is starting to take on the Iggy role that we saw in 2015," Bayless said Tuesday on "Undisputed," referencing Andre Iguodala, who won Finals MVP seven years ago. "It's very similar that [Wiggins'] defense is turning the series around because he's starting to do a number on Jayson Tatum, who a lot of people thought had already arrived as a superstar."

Wiggins has been the primary defender on Tatum, who's averaging 23.2 points per game but has been held to 36.7% shooting while committing 3.6 turnovers per game. More importantly, as the Celtics have looked exhausted in the past two fourth quarters, Wiggins appears rejuvenated, holding Tatum to a combined 2-of-10 shooting for seven points when it matters most.

"All of a sudden, Andrew Wiggins said: 'Not on my watch,'" Bayless said. "You have to credit him for slowly but surely turning this series around on both ends because he did it offensively, led them in scoring on Monday night. That's never happened where he led them in both scoring and rebounding."

Wiggins registered team highs of 26 points and 13 rebounds in Game 5, his second straight game leading the Warriors on the boards. Over the past two games, he has combined for 43 points and 29 rebounds on 46.7% shooting.

Curry scored 16 points on 7-of-22 shooting and 0-for-9 from 3 on Monday. It was Curry's first Finals game without a made 3. He's averaging 30.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists for the series. Wiggins is averaging 18.4 points and 9.4 rebounds while playing a larger role on defense.

"He can score," Bayless said of Wiggins. "So, there's potential for him to continue to rise and shine here. If he has big Game 6 and 7s, I think he could get into the conversation if Curry continues to go south."