Andre Iguodala Accepting Sixth-Man Role a Necessity for Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors may be an adjustment away from legitimately contending in the Western Conference. Other than adding free-agent guard Shaun Livingston, the organization is chiefly relying on in-house development to find that elusive next level.
Perhaps new head coach Steve Kerr will make a difference, too—most recently evidenced by his willingness to explore a bench role for 10-year veteran Andre Iguodala.
Kerr brought the 30-year-old off the bench for Golden State's blowout preseason victory against the Los Angeles Lakers, a contest in which Iguodala racked up eight assists and no turnovers. That playmaking ability makes the one-time All-Star a valuable energizer for the second unit, a potential argument for making Iguodala the Warriors' semi-official sixth man.
It's a logic that isn't lost on Kerr.
"I thought Andre was brilliant, and I don't know that [coming off the bench is] the route we're going to go, but he solidified that unit, and our lead went up when we subbed in, which was encouraging," he told reporters after the October game, per Bay Area News Group's Diamond Leung.
Leung recently noted that, "Kerr likes Iguodala in the point-forward role, especially while the team is missing Shaun Livingston and looking for a ball-handler for when Stephen Curry is not on the court."
It's too soon to say whether the new role will stick, but there are a number of reasons why it should.
Golden State's bench averaged 30.6 points per game last season, which ranked 19th according to HoopsStats.com.
When healthy, Livingston will improve that mark to some degree—but Iguodala would improve it even more.
It's as much an opportunity for Iguodala as it is the Warriors. The 6'6" swingman averaged just 9.3 points a season ago, his lowest output since his rookie campaign in 2004-05. The apparent decline was really a function of fewer minutes (32.4 per contest) and fewer shots (7.3 per contest).
Those averages fell far short of career marks at 37 minutes and 11.2 field-goal attempts per game.
Put simply, the Warriors never really took full advantage of the dynamic two-way weapon. He was limited by injury to 63 games and shared playing time with a deep roster including other wing options like Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green.
However, Iguodala was still efficient—making 48 percent of his field-goal attempts and displaying sound, if conservative, shot selection.
This may not be the same player who once scored 19.9 points per game for the Philadelphia 76ers (2007-08), but he's an offensive threat—a forgotten facilitator who's averaged 4.9 assists over the course of his career.
Iguodala is the kind of presence who'd make guys like Livingston, Green and Brandon Rush better, a force multiplier who could single-handedly stretch the Warriors' effectiveness over the course of 48 minutes.
The big question is whether it's a role he wants to accept.
"It doesn't matter to me who I'm playing with," Iguodala told SFGate's Rusty Simmons this month. "I think I'm going to make anybody better. When I'm out there playing basketball, it's just 'let me do me,' and everybody is going to benefit. I feel confident that whoever I'm out there with is going to win."
Asked whether he cared about starting, Iguodala responded, "Do I care? I don't know. That's a good question. I'm just playing ball. You try not to make a big deal out of it...I'm trying not to make it a story this year, and I'm trying to win a championship."
But the interview's most revealing excerpt suggests that Iguodala understands—and perhaps accepts—his value with the second unit.
"You don't have the same two-guard setup with Steph [Curry] and Klay [Thompson], with Steph's ability to handle the ball, create and shoot and Klay’s ability to just flat-out period shoot the ball," he added. "So the ball is in my hands a little more. I'm setting up and doing a few more things."
That sounds like a step in the right direction on the heels of a season when Iguodala could almost certainly have done more things.
So the idea of Iguodala serving sixth-man duty seems like a win-win situation. Manu Ginobili does it for the San Antonio Spurs. Jamal Crawford does it for the Los Angeles Clippers. Reggie Jackson has done it for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Elite teams typically have strong bench leadership. The Warriors should be no different.
Hopefully the new coach sees it that way.
According to Leung, Kerr described starting spots for Curry, Thompson, David Lee and Andrew Bogut as being "automatic" this season.
He was less certain about Iguodala's fate.
"Andre started last year, which he probably will [again], but there's a lot of options that we have because we've got really good players in Harrison and Draymond," Kerr said at the time. "But most of it usually comes down to how the combination fits...How do the pieces of the puzzle fit?"
There's one more piece to that puzzle.
Barnes—a two-year veteran who started all 81 of his rookie games—only started 24 games a season ago, functionally forfeiting his spot to Iguodala. Despite a minutes increase from that rookie season, Barnes made just 39.9 percent of his field-goal attempts—down somewhat significantly from the 43.9 percent he made in 2012-13.
It wasn't a disastrous step back, but nor was it the kind of progress one might have expected from the former No. 7 overall pick.
The franchise has high hopes for the 22-year-old. Ensuring him ample playing time may remain a challenge, but a starting job may be a needed confidence boost. Building up the youngster's psyche could be critical to his evolution.
Just one more reason to consider shaking up this starting five.
Kerr may be reluctant to institute significant changes in light of the other adjustments his roster's making—namely to a new coaching staff and system. Stability can be a good thing, particularly for a team coming off of a 51-win season.
But there's still room for the Warriors to grow—and at least one lineup tweak that could help them do it.
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