Slow offensive start doesn’t worry Iguodala
Warriors forward Andre Iguodala isn’t concerned about his shooting struggles. More than 1,000 games into his NBA career, he can sense when he is poised for some breakout performances.
“Nothing’s changed,” Iguodala said Friday when asked about his shot. “It looks like it to y’all, but it’s all good.”
Long praised for his efficiency, Iguodala, 34, is averaging 3.1 points per game this season on 38.7 percent shooting (28.6 percent from threepoint range). Only twice in 10 appearances has he scored more than four points. Before hitting two of his three shots in Thursday’s loss to Milwaukee, How Andre Iguodala’s offensive stats compare to his career: Points FG% 3PT% FT% 3.1 38.7 28.6 50.0 12.5 46.4 33.3 71.2 Iguodala was 3-for-12 from the field in his previous three games.
Perhaps more concerning than the numbers, however, is how they’re coming. On shots at least 8 feet out, Iguodala is 5-for-22 (22.7 percent) from the field. Only one of his eight shots between 8 and 24 feet has gone in.
The good news for Golden State is that it doesn’t ask Iguodala to be much of a scoring threat. With some of the best shooters in NBA history around him, he is free to focus on finding the open man, limiting turnovers, helping set the tempo and guarding one of the opponent’s best scorers.
By that measure, Iguodala has been making good on the $16 million he’ll earn this season. His assist-to-turnover ratio leads the team. In addition to averaging almost a steal and a block per game, Iguodala is corralling an average of 2.4 rebounds.
It is also worth considering that Iguodala often has a tough time making shots early in the season, only to settle into a groove as he nears the playoffs. Such was the case last season when, after laboring much of the regular season, he re-emerged as an indispensable role player in the postseason.
“I’ve been feeling good this year,” Iguodala said.