OAKLAND, Calif. -- Lost amid the Splash Brothers’ post All-Star break shooting slumps (both of have been busted), Kevin Durant’s rehab (which appears to be nearing its end), and the Warriors ’ early March slide (now a thing of the past) was the fact that one key member never crashed like the rest of the then-inconsistent team.
Since Durant went down, Andre Iguodala has been the Warriors’ most consistent player.
In a 106-94 victory against the Marc Gasol-less Grizzlies on Sunday night, Iguodala chipped in his typical versatile stat line with seven boards, four assists, two steals, and a block. But he also poured in 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting. The Warriors are now 16-0 (including the playoffs) when Iguodala scores at least 20 points.
“His versatility is always evident. It shows up all across the stat sheet,” Stephen Curry said. “He’s aggressive scoring, knocking down shots, playing inspired basketball. It’s unbelievable. We feed off of his energy when we see him get a rebound, get a steal, push it up the court, make a crazy inside-out dribble and finish at the rim, or knock down open 3s, playmaking for other guys -- it’s fun to watch.
“He always says, ‘Y’all forget I can play basketball, too.’ But we don’t forget that.”
In the first half, when the Warriors struggled to gain an edge over the Grizzlies, Iguodala led the team in scoring with 16 points -- his highest-scoring first half since November 2013-- in 15 minutes. He made both of his 3s, including a four-point play from the corner.
That's a 4-point play for Iguodala! pic.twitter.com/C807K2uwxJ— CSN Warriors News (@CSNWarriors) March 27, 2017
In the second half, Klay Thompson (31 points) took over on offense. Along with Curry (21 points and 11 assists), Thompson led the Warriors’ late charge to separate from the Grizzlies. By the end, Iguodala wasn’t the Warriors’ top scorer, because he no longer needed to serve that role.
He did still get the chance to add this thunderous slam in the third after a nifty head fake:
This Iguodala headfake just had Mike Conley standing in quicksand pic.twitter.com/PsuimupVna— KNBR (@KNBR) March 27, 2017
He has been remarkably efficient lately. After Durant went down on Feb. 28, Iguodala has posted a .618 field-goal percentage.
Steve Kerr has been talking about Iguodala’s heightened level of play for a few weeks now. In all of the blockquotes below, the same words and phrases -- bouncy, athleticism, brilliant, etc. -- keep popping up.
On March 16, after the warriors topped the Magic by 30 points, Kerr said this:
“When he plays at this level, where he’s been the last several weeks, we get a different dimension. He’s been fantastic. He just looks bouncy and pushing the ball at every opportunity. He’s probably been our best player, our most consistent player during the last few weeks. He doesn’t get a lot of the notoriety -- not that he cares -- but he’s just playing brilliant basketball.”
On Saturday, a day before Golden State’s victory against Memphis, Kerr credited Igoudala for playing the best he has since the Finals two years ago:
“Man, has he been good. He’s been pushing the ball relentlessly with speed in transition. Getting out and running the wings and finishing. I think Andre’s looked as good as I’ve seen him since the Finals two years ago when he was MVP. He’s got that kind of bounce to his step right now.”
After winning Sunday night, Kerr had this to say:
“He’s been fantastic. He looks incredibly athletic and bouncy and fresh. He’s a pro. The guy just knows how to take care of his body. I think he’s done a great job of stepping up in KD’s absence, recognizing what we need from him. He’s been brilliant.”
Kerr even compared him to Scottie Pippen:
Kerr compares Iguodala to Pippen, calls him their best player over the last few weeks. pic.twitter.com/BR2NsOiANu— Sean Wagner-McGough (@seanjwagner) March 27, 2017
He just does everything.
Andre Iguodala is currently the Warriors'...— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) March 27, 2017
-Back-up PF;
-Back-up SF;
-Back-up PG;
-Do-it-all for the closing unit.
When Durant went down with his injury, some pundits and fans mused that the Durant-less lineup would give Curry and Thompson their chance to take over like they did last season. It’s not that Durant’s injury was a positive -- of course, it wasn’t -- but if there had be a positive takeaway, it was that Curry and Thompson would be completely free to fire away until Durant returned.
It turns out Durant’s injury might’ve ended up benefiting Iguodala. Maybe a positive did arise out of Durant’s injury: it awakened Iguodala. It’s been a while since he -- a 33-year-old, 13-year veteran -- has looked like this.
Consider this: When the Warriors enter the playoffs, they’ll have not only Durant back on the floor, they’ll also have Iguodala playing the best he has since the 2015 Finals. And there’s no doubt that when Durant returns, Iguodala will find a different, but equally important way to contribute, because he almost always does.
He always makes a conscious effort to be whatever the Warriors need, which he explained Sunday:
Iguodala on being whatever the Warriors need him to be each night. pic.twitter.com/OrlEli04Wc— Sean Wagner-McGough (@seanjwagner) March 27, 2017
Now, the important part: To ensure Iguodala’s level of play doesn’t slip, the Warriors need to make sure they give him enough time to do what he does best.
He needs to hit the golf course.
Iguodala weighs in on Steph's golfing joke. pic.twitter.com/FFUiIjOsRc— Sean Wagner-McGough (@seanjwagner) March 27, 2017
I’m guessing Curry will happily join him.
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