How Iguodala Got His Groove Back
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1/8/14 ESPN.com - How Iguodala got his groove back ESPN.com: NBA [Print without images] Monday, November 18, 2013 How Iguodala got his groove back By David Thorpe ESPN Insider Based on watching Andre Iguodala with the Denver Nuggets last season, I expected his impact on the Golden State Warriors this season to be less than remarkable. I could not have been more wrong. This is not the same Iguodala. Gone is the guy who was somewhat of a malcontent last season in Denver and during his last few seasons in Philadelphia. With the Nuggets, "Iggy" shot the ball poorly -- 45 percent from the field and 32 percent from 3-point range -- and simply did not embrace Denver's track-meet style of play. He struggled in transition and often did not engage the same way the team's other sprinters did. His discomfort with Denver's overall scheme also impacted his shooting. Prior to joining the Nuggets in 2012-13, Iguodala was coming off his best season from 3-point range (39 percent), a mark far higher than his previous career best (35 percent) and perhaps indicative of real progress. That progress died in Denver, as he made just 32 percent of his 3s and did not look anything like the wing scorer who had reached his full potential the previous season. In Golden State, however, he's transformed his game. Where the Nuggets simply could not take advantage of Iguodala's strengths, the Warriors -- which play a similar fast-and-loose style -- have helped him regain his rhythm. Here's a look at what's changed. Improved 3-point shot Iguodala rarely gets involved in the Warriors' transition game unless he grabs the defensive rebound. This is somewhat counterintuitive considering his athleticism, yet it is clear that he is not someone who loves to race out on the wing. In contrast, he often trails on the break with Golden State, which sets up open 3-pointers. Perhaps he's just happier playing for Mark Jackson than he was playing for George Karl. Or maybe he's learned to stay balanced and get full extension from his shooting arm by watching new teammates Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry. Regardless, the bottom line is that Iguodala's 3-point shot has improved considerably from his final season in Philadelphia -- and is light-years better than his long-distance mark last season with Denver. Through 10 games this season, he's made 20-of-39 from 3-point range (51 percent). Plus, he's shooting a career-high 61 percent from the field this season (versus 45 percent last campaign), and recently knocked down a game-winning jumper to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder. Lockdown defense insider.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=9996602&type=story 1/3 1/8/14 ESPN.com - How Iguodala got his groove back It's not just on offense where Iguodala has made a huge impact, as he has returned to being the "lockdown" stopper he was in Philadelphia -- which is key for the Warriors, who play in a Western Conference full of scoring stars. In part due to Iggy's defensive help, the Warriors have jumped from 13th to fourth in defensive efficiency thus far in 2013-14. Iguodala's success on defense starts with the beginning of each possession. Most of the top scorers in the league are experts at finding a hole in a defense as soon as a possession starts, either in transition or early offense. (Show me a scoring wing who scores only later in the clock, and I'll show you an inefficient scorer.) Often, the most open look a true scorer will get most nights is on those early touches, before the defense gets set and before the wing defender assigned to slow him down can force him into easier-to-defend areas of the court. Iguodala's 3-point shooting has been exceptional so far this season. Could it be his new teammates? This is where Iguodala's high basketball IQ helps him as much as his length and strength. He is alert to how his man will hunt those spots and is often on his man just as a catch is made despite sometimes appearing that he is going to arrive late. Iguodala knows that if he shows on his man too early, he could cut hard toward the rim and potentially beat him for an easy shot. He also would not be able to help his teammates early in those possessions if he just hugged close to his man, a mistake many young players make (they often think basketball is a game of five sets of one-on-one). Iguodala does not deter opponents to drive to the lane like Roy Hibbert, but as far as guards go, he ranks among the best at inhibiting gap penetration just by being ready to help. In short, his "starting position" is typically picture perfect. That is, where he is on the court is the best place to begin a possession -- close enough to use his long arms to contest his man should he catch and shoot, and far enough away to be ready to pounce on a player driving to the bucket. Additionally, having Iguodala waiting in the wings on defense helps Thompson and Curry play aggressively on the ball -- a big factor in their overall defensive success thus far. Thorpe's thoughts: On Denver's decline: It's simply amazing how last season's injuries to Danilo Gallinari and David Lee (more on this later) have helped unravel the Nuggets, once considered a "new" team that seemed capable of winning a title within a five-year window. Prior to Gallinari going down in April with a season-ending ACL injury, the Nuggets had won 34 of their previous 42 games. Opponents withered at the speed at which Denver played, and its second unit often did more damage than the starters. Ty Lawson had emerged as an All-Star-caliber point guard and was the Nuggets' best overall player, but "Gallo" was just behind him and had room to grow, as he was just 25. He was also the Nuggets' second-best shooter (best among starters), and could earn a quality look better than most others because of his size and ballhandling skills. insider.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=9996602&type=story 2/3 1/8/14 ESPN.com - How Iguodala got his groove back But after Gallinari went down, Lawson missed some games followed by Kenneth Faried. Though the Nuggets won nine of their final 10 games, including Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Warriors, those injuries threw off the balance and chemistry Denver had built over the season. It was Lee's injury, ironically, that ended Denver's season. That opened up a spot for Harrison Barnes to start at power forward for the Warriors -- a horrible matchup for Faried, who had just returned and struggles to find shooters in transition. Barnes blew up in Game 2 of the playoff series and made some big plays in Game 3. If Denver had just stuck to developing from within rather than making major moves, things might be a lot different. Certainly Iguodala, who did not fit in the Nuggets' overall scheme, could have been replaced by a cheaper version without costing them any wins. But with upheaval in the front office and on the bench, suddenly all the momentum built from last season's 57-win team is gone. The voluntary dismantling of the Nuggets marks the second time in the past five years that a contender decided to change directions. It became abundantly clear how After Danilo Gallinari went down, that worked out for Phoenix's "Seven Seconds or Less" team that was blown up from within. so did the Nuggets. On Dwight Howard's free throw stroke: Howard made 17 of 24 free throws to help beat Denver on Saturday, but his shot looked the same as it has all season (when he has not been as good). He does a curious thing on his free throw attempts: He lifts up from a bent position but does not release the ball until he is standing straight. Most shooters shoot as they lift, letting go of the ball as they get straight. But not Howard. It's almost as if the trigger point for his shot is the stopping point of his lift, an abrupt mechanism that literally halts any flow from his lift. I always teach that shooting should be a fluid, natural movement, which is why there are so many good shooters who shoot differently from each other. Howard's movement is the opposite, and one that makes me think the 17- of-24 night does not suggest he has figured anything out. insider.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=9996602&type=story 3/3.