Iguodala is happy to return to court after 11-game absence
PHILADELPHIA — Andre Iguodala hadn’t played in an NBA game in 25 days. He missed 11 games in all while nursing persistent soreness in his right knee.
So even if he looked rusty in Saturday night’s loss to Philadelphia — 1-for-5 from the field, short on all four of his 3-point attempts — he savored the chance to rejoin his Warriors teammates on the court.
“It felt good,” Iguodala said after Sunday’s practice at Temple University. “I’m excited going forward. It wasn’t even any structural damage, it’s just 1,200 games of high intensity and running the way I run — it just kind of caught up with me.”
Iguodala, who turns 38 next month, was playing well before the knee sidelined him. His numbers seem modest — 3.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 20 minutes per game — but the Warriors need him to anchor their second unit.
Head coach Steve Kerr also spoke of Iguodala’s impact as a mentor for the team’s younger players. Iguodala acknowledged he has become especially close to Jordan Poole since returning to the Warriors this season. They had dinner together Sunday in Philadelphia.
Iguodala views it as his responsibility to counsel players such as Poole, much the way Aaron McKie, Kevin Ollie and Marc Jackson did for him.
“You see the potential there — and if someone saw something I needed, they provided that for me,” Iguodala said. “I see something I can help him with and that’s going to make him greater. It’s not for me. It’s for his success.
“And he’ll do the same thing. That’s how you build that thing we call generational wealth — not just financially but from a human aspect.”
Bjelica’s struggles: Nemanja Bjelica’s strong start to the season has cooled recently. Bjelica bypassed open shots Saturday night, no doubt a result of his struggles over the past 10 games — 5-for-22 (23%) beyond the arc.
The Warriors figure to need Bjelica’s size (6-foot-10) Monday night against Indiana’s Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis, both of whom are 6-11. Bjelica, Kevon Looney,
Draymond Green and Juan Toscano-Anderson all spent time defending Joel Embiid (26 points and nine rebounds) on Saturday night, without much success.