Aaron Wiggins | Phoenix Suns Post-Game | Dec. 29, 2021
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Aaron, as a second item, back-to-back against one of the best teams in the NBA,
00:04and you guys, once again, put up quite the fight.
00:06Just what was required in this game to make it a battle of your core force?
00:10I mean, just continue to play together.
00:12Like we said, guys have gone down with COVID, with injuries and stuff.
00:17And we have a next man up mentality, and guys still wanted to compete and
00:21wanted to win.
00:22So it was just about playing together, trying to execute our game plan, and
00:26not being phased by any late game decisions.
00:32Shay had ankle soreness and stuff.
00:35So I mean, it was just a next man up mentality, and guys were ready to compete.
00:38And the next man up mentality, Ty Jerome stepped in when Shay was a late scratch.
00:43Just what was it like?
00:43What were you seeing from him?
00:44Yeah, he was huge, just kind of being a leader on the court,
00:47being able to get us into sets defensively, talking.
00:50I mean, his leadership on the court was definitely a huge factor in us being able
00:53to compete and make it a really good game.
00:56So I was happy for him, and I mean, he even kind of got me going.
01:01He told me in my ear, he was like, continue to be aggressive,
01:03keep playing your game.
01:04So I mean, he was big, kind of being ready to go with the next man up mentality.
01:09You talked about having to execute the game plan.
01:12Did you guys really emphasize the paint tonight, just how big of what that-
01:17Yeah, I mean, that's huge for us, both defensively and offensively.
01:21Protecting the paint, and then offensively,
01:23trying to generate shots by getting into the paint,
01:25whether that's at the rim, finishing layups, or kicking out for open threes.
01:29And I mean, when we play together and we're making the right plays and
01:32the right reads, we get a lot of good shots.
01:33And I mean, a lot of them didn't fall tonight, but
01:36I mean, I thought we played really well together.
01:39Once three or four games you've played at or above 30 minutes,
01:44how has that helped you sort of find your rhythm?
01:46Yeah, I mean, I've just gotten a little bit comfortable.
01:48Guys have continued to tell me to keep finding spots,
01:52keep playing within the offense, and trying to make plays.
01:56And I'm just trying to do whatever it takes to get my team,
02:00put my team in the best position that we can be in, and just make the right plays.
02:04So we have guys who are really good at passing, who make the right reads.
02:08And off of those, I'm just making the right decisions, trying to.
02:12Do you already feel like you're at a new comfort level now than you did
02:15at the beginning of the year?
02:16I mean, obviously, as you get more playing time, you'll tend to grow.
02:19You get a little bit comfortable with everything.
02:20But I mean, I definitely would say the pace has kind of slowed down a little bit
02:24for me, and I'm kind of just adjusting to the whole physicality,
02:29speed, and the upbeat tempo of it all.
02:31So getting playing time and kind of getting a feel for it has definitely been huge.
02:36Can you walk us through that, Victor, if you had a neutral pass?
02:39I just saw an open lane.
02:40I mean, I saw one side of the court was kind of overloaded offensively,
02:45and their defense was kind of shifted over there.
02:48So it wasn't much help.
02:50I didn't see JaVale McGee in the paint, so I just tried to drive and make a play.
02:54And the result was what it was.
02:56So those big plays sort of keep you going?
02:59I hope to get the team going.
03:00That's the biggest thing.
03:03In terms of me, I'm just trying to make the right decision, make the right play,
03:07regardless of the situation.
03:09But I think those plays can be big energy plays, big confidence boosters and stuff.
03:14So just continue to look for those opportunities within the offense
03:18and make the right plays.
03:20Aaron, when you hit that shot of freeing, was it one of the things that led to
03:25the game being turned around?
03:26I mean, it's only a four-point lead, but did that do anything to your folks mentally?
03:30I don't think it phased our team mentally.
03:32I think we're really good with kind of just having the mentality of, like,
03:36what else could go wrong with us, regardless of the situation,
03:39regardless of the score or anything like that.
03:42I knew as soon as he caught it and he turned around that there was a chance it was going in,
03:46just because they were hitting shots and, you know, we're playing in their arena.
03:49And I mean, that's the way the game goes.
03:51So, you know, I definitely don't think we were kind of phased.
03:54We still kind of, you know, bounced back.
03:56I think we still, you know, we're within reach and we had the game under control even still.
04:01So, I mean, that was a big shot for them, just momentum-wise, kind of separating,
04:05you know, adding to that lead that they had.
04:07But, you know, I don't think we were phased by it at all.
04:11All right, we've got time for one off the Zoom.
04:13We'll go to Christine Butterfield.
04:14Go ahead, Christine, with your question.
04:19All right, then we will go with Christos Saltas.
04:26Go ahead with your question off the Zoom, Christos.
04:29Hello, Aaron.
04:30Good game, great game, first of all.
04:32Thank you.
04:33Do you feel that you're stepping into a bigger role in the last three games
04:37and how comfortable do you feel in that role?
04:41I wouldn't say that I'm just necessarily stepping into a bigger role.
04:44You know, we have guys who are down.
04:45You know, the opportunity looks a little different.
04:47And, you know, I'm just trying to make sure that I'm giving, you know,
04:51our team the best possible chance of being in the position
04:54to be on the winning side of these games.
04:56So, I know that when guys come back, you know,
04:59a lot of things are going to look different.
05:00And you might not see, you know, some of the same guys on the court
05:04or the same, you know, numbers that you see.
05:07But just in terms of what I'm doing on the court
05:10is just doing whatever it takes for the team to win.
05:12So, by all means, it might be a different role right now.
05:16But, you know, it's an 82-game season and a lot of things can change within it.
05:20And with COVID, you see everything changing for every team in the NBA.
05:23So, I'm just continuing to stay ready
05:25and make the right plays when I have my chance.
05:28Thank you, Eric.