Andre Iguodala opens up about struggle coming off the bench

Andre Iguodala made coming off the bench look easy, however, in his memoir, ‘The Sixth Man,’ Iggy confesses that he struggled with the transition.

Steve Kerr inherited an excellent, up-and-coming Golden State Warriors in 2014. Before embarking on his first regular season game, he made a small, but crucial tweak to his lineup: bringing his former starter and all-star forward Andre Iguodala off the bench.

Entering his eleventh NBA season, Iguodala had never come off the bench once during his NBA career. He started in every single one of his 700+ NBA games up until that point.

Long story short, Iguodala accepted his bench role and the Warriors went on to win their first NBA title since 1975. The following year they broke the single season record for wins in a season, previously held by Michael Jordan‘s Chicago Bulls.

Clearly, Kerr’s decision paid dividends.

Despite the success and accolades, Iguodala didn’t feel like himself with his reduced bench role. In his recently released memoir, Iguodala opens up about the struggles he endured.

Upon hearing the news that Kerr wanted him to come off the bench, Iguodala thought:

"Was this the beginning of the end for me?I didn’t want to think so, but every player knows that his days are numbered, and when a starter is turned into a bench player, it’s just one of those moments when you begin to wonder if the end is coming sooner than you think.If [Kerr] said that the team would do better with me playing on the second unit, then I had to believe him"

So, how exactly did the move to the bench affect Iguodala?

More from Blue Man Hoop

• 3x champion may come to regret forgoing Golden State Warriors reunion
• Golden State Warriors: History shows USA may need Stephen Curry for more than the Olympics
• 7 players Golden State Warriors might replace Klay Thompson with by the trade deadline
• Golden State Warriors villain pours on more pain to end USA’s World Cup
• Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry continues philanthropic efforts off the court

Iguodala saw his minutes per game dip under 30 for the first time in his career. He averaged only single-digit scoring for the first time since his rookie season over a decade earlier.

His free throw attempts and percentage crashed. Iguodala, who had once averaged 82% from the line on over 7 attempts per game, was averaging an uncharacteristic 60% on 1.5 attempts per game.

Other key stats, like rebounds, assists, and steals, all naturally dipped to career lows in his reduced role.

The Warriors were winning big, but Iguodala didn’t feel comfortable and began to grapple with the idea of sacrificing his value and earning potential in exchange for team success.

"People in my life, friends, family members, didn’t understand. I would argue with my business manager Rudy all the time. He thought I was suffering from lack of confidence… I could see where they were coming from.Helping find the rhythm for my team worked. But finding my personal offensive rhythm within that never did.Sometimes I would come into the locker room at half time and be pissed. I was literally out there on the floor killing my value. I could see it happening, possession by possession.What if this wasn’t my last contract? What if I had come to Golden State only to descend into becoming a mediocre player?Championships are good for you, but maximizing financial security may, in the long run, be even more important.We finished the season 67-15, one of the best records in franchise history, but I still ended the regular season feeling entirely out of sorts offensively. I had never gotten into my groove, and I was aware that offensively I was capable of so much more."

Iguodala’s concerns were valid. He clearly never looked like the offensive player that he once was in his years with Philadelphia.

Heading into the final year of his contract in 2017, Iguodala had every right to be concerned about his depreciating value.

The Warriors could have easily decided that they didn’t want him anymore, leaving him at the risk of signing a relatively small contract that could spell the end of his NBA career.

However, that was not what happened at all. Iguodala may have declined overall on the offensive end, but he shined as bright as ever on the defensive end. He successfully guarded the top players in the league and became a key cog in a dominant Warriors team defense.

Iguodala also showed up when it mattered most, coming up with clutch performances during the Warriors’ storied playoff runs.

This clutch block on LeBron in the Finals was sweet.

And this buzzer-beater block on Lillard last year was another memorable one.

https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1129232112081465345

In the end, all of the hardship and struggle paid off (literally), as the Warriors offered him his most lucrative contract to date in 2017: a three-year deal worth $48 million.

Ironically enough, the Warriors recently traded Iguodala to Memphis to dump the last year of that salary worth $17 million. The cost of Iguodala had finally become a little too high for what he was producing on the court at 35 years young and the Warriors desperately needed salary relief.

All in all, the story of Andre Iguodala sacrificing his personal fame and risking his wealth reflects highly on his character and team-first mentality.

Andre’s risk not only ended up earning him three championships but also paid off financially too.

Despite all the great years in Philadelphia and Denver, when the next generation of basketball players and fans think of Andre Iguodala, they will think of his legacy as the sixth man on the Golden State Warriors.

They’ll think of his lockdown defense, Finals MVP, and key role on the greatest team to ever play the game, honors that one day could land him in the Hall of Fame.

It’s a great example of human selflessness that everyone can take inspiration from.