Now that the Golden State Warriors have dropped back-to-back games and are no longer undefeated darlings, the conversation about Andre Iguodala coming off of the bench is heating up.
Late in the preseason, new Warriors head coach Steve Kerr made the call to pull Iguodala from the starting lineup on what seemed like a temporary basis. With Shaun Livingston injured to start the year, the team's second unit lacked ball-handling, and running Iguodala with the reserves would solve that problem.
Livingston is back now, but Iguodala is still coming off of the bench, to mixed results. Long thought to be a glue guy, a playmaker and someone who improves the whole of the team without needing his own touches, Iguodala has looked incredibly passive to start the year. He's scoring less, he's barely shooting and his offensive production is down across the board.
| Iguodala | Pts/36 | TS% | Ast/36 | PER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-13 | 13.3 | 52.8% | 5.8 | 16.6 |
| 2013-14 | 10.4 | 57.0% | 4.6 | 13.7 |
| 2014-15 | 7.8 | 48.4% | 3.4 | 7.2 |
The adjustment is obviously taking some time, which is understandable considering Iguodala started all 758 of his career games before this season.
"I think (Iguodala) is trying to find his role, and we're trying to help him find it," Kerr said Tuesday to Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN. "But it's not easy for a guy who spent his entire career starting. I asked him to come off the bench and he's accepted it, he's been great, but it's not easy."
Despite the poor numbers, the Warriors have still been better with Iguodala on the court than off, outscoring opponents by an additional 7.5 points per-100 possessions.
What sticks out, though, is that playing Iguodala in place of starter Harrison Barnes has been an incredibly effective look. When Iguodala plays with the starters, the five-man unit has outscored opponents by a ridiculous 43.8 points per-100 possessions over an appreciable 32-minute sample. The starting unit has been effective, but not nearly to that degree.
It's possible things could change when David Lee returns from a lingering hamstring issue. Draymond Green has performed well enough to stay in the starting lineup - Barnes has been solid, too, for what it's worth - and there would be no need for Livingston, Iguodala and Lee to all come off the bench together. With creative substitution patterns and several effective ball-handlers and passers, Kerr should be able to stagger his lineups comfortably without bringing Iguodala in late as a reserve.
It doesn't sound like that change is in the cards any time soon, but that's no matter to Iguodala, who is trying his best to embrace the role. As he told Sam Amick of USA TODAY Sports:
I think the best way to (convince players to play the sixth man role) is to just be honest about it. What are you trying to do? What's your goal? Why do you think it works? And that's what Coach Kerr did. He was like, 'All right, I think you're better playing with the second unit because the second unit (will be) better - you make them go.' I was like, 'All right, cool.' ... I mean I can argue, and say, '(Expletive), I make the first team better too. I don't care who I'm playing with, I'm making everybody better.'
I don't wrestle with (the new notion of playing the role). The only time I think about it is when I get asked about it, so I just deflect the question, like, 'I don't want to talk about it.' That's just how I deal with it. Don't ask me about it. I'm just going to be ready to play tomorrow.
There's no reason to panic in the Bay Area after two shaky outings for a team that started out so hot. The defense is still the league's best, and the talent is obviously there for the offense to improve from their current No. 18 perch and their No. 12 standing from a year ago.
Iguodala finding his way in his new role, or simply playing better - barring the Warriors changing course with the experiment - will help to that end.
