Canada's Andrew Wiggins was named the NBA's Rookie of the Year, the first Minnesota Timberwolves player to scoop the honor.

Last year's number one overall draft pick won by a comfortable margin over Nikola Mirotic of the Chicago Bulls.

The 20-year-old Toronto native received 110 of the 130 available first-place votes.

Mirotic, a Montenegro native who entered the league with a wealth of professional experience in Europe, was second with 14 first-place votes and Philadelphia's Nerlens Noel and Orlando's Elfrid Payton each garnered three.

Shooting guard Wiggins averaged 16.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and one steal while playing all 82 games for the Timberwolves.

He was taken first overall in last June's draft by Cleveland and traded to Minnesota in the three-team deal in August that sent star forward Kevin Love from the Timberwolves to the Cavaliers.

Wiggins was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month four times in his first season, but the rebuilding Timberwolves were an NBA-worst 16-66.

The team hopes Wiggins will prove the cornerstone of a resurgent franchise.

"I have a long way to go," he said. "I'm only 20 years old. So that's just motivation for me to get better."
Source: AFP