The Loss of Andre Iguodala is a Major Blow to the Warriors
Andre Iguodala will miss at least two weeks with an ankle sprain. How did the Warriors deal with losing such a valuable piece?
On Friday night, the Warriors were cruising to an easy victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. They came out on fire, trying to avenge their worst loss of the season just two weeks earlier. The Warriors scored an NBA-high 81 points in the first half, taking the life out of the young Blazers squad. In the third quarter, it was more of the same, with the Warriors extending their lead to as high as 32. It was looking like another easy victory at home but one play may have changed the Warriors entire season.
With the Warriors up 106-83 with less than 3 minutes left in the third quarter, Andre Iguodala was coming off a screen, dribbled it off his foot, and was upended by Blazers star and Oakland native, Damian Lillard. Iguodala seemed to be in a considerable amount of pain and it was apparent that this injury was serious because after he went to the line, he immediately limped to the locker room. The Warriors went on to win the game, 128-112 but all anyone was thinking about was the health of Iguodala.
It was revealed on Saturday that Iguodala had suffered a sprained ankle and would be out at least two weeks. This is a huge blow to the Warriors because Iguodala can do so much on the floor. Other than Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Iguodala may be the fourth most important player on this team. His numbers do not jump off the page, but it is the intangibles that makes him so valuable.
Iguodala is the Warriors best on-the-ball defender, which was evident during last year’s NBA Finals when he made life difficult on LeBron James. Iguodala is also an excellent passer with an incredible basketball IQ and is the leader of the Warriors bench. The Warriors’ starting five is one of the best in the NBA, but there are times when the bench struggles and lets their opponents back in games.
More often than not, this happens with Iguodala on the sidelines, not leading his fellow teammates. He has an innate ability to put his teammates in great situations whether it is making the extra pass for a great shot or directing the defense to switch at the right time, Iguodala is like another coach on the court. He knows where everyone is supposed to be on offense and defense and when he is not on the floor, the Warriors do not have that leader.
"It's a really big deal," Steve Kerr said. Warriors announce Andre iguodala's MRI confirms ankle sprain. He'll be out at least two weeks.
— Rusty Simmons (@JRustySimmons) March 13, 2016
The Warriors need their bench to step up in his absence and so far, they have responded. Shaun Livingston has taken over the reigns as the floor general and Marreese Speights and Leandro Barbosa have more but made up for Iguodala’s scoring. Monday night against the New Orleans Pelicans may have been the Warriors best bench showing of the season, scoring 55 points with everyone contributing.
It was no surprise that Speights led the bench with 14 points but the second leading scorer was James Michael McAdoo with eleven. McAdoo still recovering from his toe injury he suffered earlier in the season and Monday night’s game may have been a preview of what we will see the rest of the season. Barbosa added nine, Brandon Rush chipped in eight and Anderson Varejao finished with seven.
The Warriors will not score 55 points per game off the bench but if the team can get solid performances from these guys, the team will not suffer as much from the Iguodala loss. A steady bench performance can also do wonders for the starting five, getting the rest they need as we draw near to the postseason.
Hopefully Iguodala is only out the two weeks but if he is out longer, the Warriors should have the weapons to combat his loss.