Golden State’s key reserve still has plenty left in the tank
Don’t let the old man fool you, Andre Iguodala is much closer to being a dominant player, than he is to being someone who should retire. The famously cryptic (and trollish) do-a-bit-of-everything star has taken great glee in letting us all know he has one foot out the door. Whether it be calling Patrick McCaw “my replacement” during the last Championship parade, or telling Kerith Burke that he played well because he has a golf tee time in the morning.
With just about 70% of the season complete, it’s worth noting that Andre Iguodala has been superb.
Andre Iguodala, resting tonight, has finished up his best pre ASB season in a few years: Played 50 of 57 games, dunked 46 times, shot 37% from 3, brought consistent defensive energy/IQ and is an NBA best +287 off the bench. He’s 35.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 14, 2019
Though his per game statistics are slightly lower than they’ve been since he joined the team, you can quickly see how good things are going for Iguodala by looking at some of his rate statistics.
For example, per 100 possessions, the super backup is averaging more rebounds (7.9), assists(6.6) and steals (1.8) than at any other point in his tenure here. As Anthony Slater points out in that tweet above, Iguodala has the best on/off point differential for any bench player in the NBA.
He’s still not scoring much - even when you normalize his six points per game, it works out to just 12.1 points per 100 possessions. This follows a career trend for him though, his scoring has progressively decreased throughout his career - he was scoring at around 19 points per 100 in his one season with the Nuggets, and an impressive 21 points points per 100 in Philadelphia.
Also notable are his extremely low turnover numbers. Currently sitting at a gaudy 4.43 assist to turnover ratio, he is tied for third out of the entire NBA. This is a welcome contribution to a team that is profligate all too often with their passes.
Harder to quantify, but equally critical to the Warriors’ success is Iguodala’s presence as a stable veteran off the bench. Coach Steve Kerr once referred to him as “our security blanket" because of his ability to soothe a game back under control. For someone who is only averaging six points per game, it would be easy to miss his impact. But make no mistake, Andre Iguodala is going to be critically important to this team in the playoffs. If early returns are any indication, there’s plenty here to like.
