Despite what their borderline troubling dependency on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may suggest, the OKC Thunder have one of the deepest rosters in the entire league.
Last season, Oklahoma City took care of business and earned an NBA Finals victory largely due to this elite depth, and, now with an undefeated record seven games into the 2025-26 campaign, they look like a true contender once again.
And if this wasn't exciting enough, there is one specific player on the roster who seems primed to have a more notable impact during this hopeful repeat tour.
Said player -- Aaron Wiggins.
Thunder wing Aaron Wiggins deserving of more credit for contributions
It goes without saying that there are a plethora of studly players on this roster who, throughout the year, will prove to be of great help to the Big Three of Chet Holmgren, Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Williams (once he fully recovers from offseason wrist surgery, that is).
However, Wiggins should have an opportunity to take a step forward this season and, in turn, shine brightest compared to his secondary peers.
In Oklahoma City's dominant 137-106 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday, Wiggins finished second on the team in points (15) and plus-minus (+19), trailing only Gilgeous-Alexander's 30 and +24, respectively.
The wing was quite efficient as well, connecting on six of his 11 field goal attempts and three of his six three-point shots.
Measuring in at 6-foot-6 and equipped with high-end athletic versatility, now in his fifth season in the association, the 26-year-old is more than capable of producing at this level on any given night, and the fanbase should be more than aware of this fact at this point.
He's spent each of his years in the league with the Thunder, and has quietly continued to improve as a scorer.
Wiggins enjoyed a strong year a season ago, posting new career highs of 12.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game on 48.8 percent shooting from the field and 38.3 percent shooting from deep while registering a +6.8 plus-minus.
Now, through seven games played in this follow-up run, he's already found a way to level up even further, as he's dropping new career-best marks of 13.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 blocks per night while ranking fourth on the Thunder in plus-minus at +7.4 (minimum five games played).
Admittedly, heading into Sunday's affair, the former second-rounder had not been quite as efficient overall from a shooting standpoint, as he was converting on a mere 42.3 percent of his field goal attempts and 32.5 percent on his long-range shots. That said, his performance against the Pelicans provides a stern reminder of his high-end, spark plug potential in this area of play.
There's no doubt that this Thunder squad has an excellent opportunity to make another deep postseason run. SGA will find himself garnering no shortage of attention, with the usual suspects of J-Dub, Chet, and Lu Dort receiving their flowers as well.
However, though these aforementioned studs are deserving of recognition, Aaron Wiggins' impact can't be completely overshadowed by them.
He's a rock-solid contributor who played a key role in their title run last year. With his obvious improvements now in year five, it seems Wiggins is now in line to take yet another step in his on-court progressions for Oklahoma City.