Iguodala’s special skill a reach for teammates
Duncan Robinson appreciates, as a third-year pro, that his invitation to the club will not be forthcoming any time soon. So, instead, he marvels at how Miami Heat teammate Andre Iguodala has turned swiping at the ball into an art form.
Typically, coaches bark “Don’t reach!” from the sideline as players defend. Over the course of extended careers, that restriction tends to get lifted, as it has for Iguodala, and his innate ability for clean swipes as shooters move into shooting motions.
“I’m in the don’t-reach camp, for sure,” Robinson joked ahead of Friday night’s game against the Utah Jazz at AmericanAirlines Arena. “Andre has an incredible ability to do that. It’s honestly unlike anything I’ve ever seen. He’s the best I’ve ever seen, by far.
“Yeah, I could try to emulate that. But the reality is that’s just an incredible ability. It’s not something that you can just like pick up. So, for now, I’m in the don’t-reach camp.”
Iguodala said Friday he once was there, too. And then, through his 17 seasons, allowances were allowed.
“Earlier in my career,” he said Friday, “I wasn’t allowed to, being a rookie, or that’s how it used to be for rookies. So not being allowed to play with my hands for a couple of years, a year or two, it kind of helped me in terms of foot speed, as a defender.
“It just made me more lethal in terms of when I was able to start using my hands.”
At 37, there also tends to be more benefit of the doubt.
“And still, to this day,” he said, “I get refs speaking to me and they say, ‘I missed a call a couple of games ago. I didn’t know that your hands were like that.’ “
Iguodala said it is as much about preparation as those moments of truth.
“It’s just about adjusting certain times, knowing when to reach, when not to, time, penalty situation,” he said. “More than anything, I think knowing guys’ shot pocket, where different guys like shooting the ball.
“Some guys like going right to shoot, some guys like going left. So you get a better feel for where the ball is coming from in terms of going up from the shot, and which direction in terms of where they handle the ball, where they’re on the floor.”
Waiting game
Robinson said Friday if he is invited to return to the 3-point contest during All-Star Sunday he likely would accept the invitation.
“If I’m going to be invited, I’m going to take the opportunity,” he said, having been eliminated in last year’s opening round. “I don’t really know. I haven’t heard anything with that. So we’ll see.”
An invitation is debatable, with Robinson going into Friday 67th in the NBA in 3-point percentage and 10th in 3-pointers per game. The event typically includes eight participants.
Robinson said he can appreciate players preferring time off during the compacted schedule.
“Obviously if you’re an All-Star, that’s a different level of privilege,” he said, with no Heat players selected for the March 7 game in Atlanta. “Being invited to the skills or 3-point, which is still an honor, you want to prioritize what’s really important. And for us, right now, it’s winning games for the Miami Heat.”
New Jumpman
Heat center Bam Adebayo was announced Friday as the latest NBA player to sign on with Jordan Brand and front Michael Jordan’s Jumpman apparel.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” the Heat center said in the brand’s release, “but it will soon, even just based on the simple fact that everybody knows who MJ is and what he’s done for the game of basketball. Being able to say that I’m part of the Brand makes me sit back and really cherish everything. I’m looking forward to the experience.”
Adebayo said it is part of continuing a legacy.
“When Kobe [Bryant] used to wear Jordans, that was a big sign of respect to me,” he said. “For him to idolize the man and wear his shoes while he was playing against him? That was special. He wasn’t signed with Jordan, but the fact that he wore them was cool to me.”