Iguodala will have surgery on left wrist
Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala will undergo surgery for a left wrist fracture he suffered in Monday’s win over Phoenix, the team announced on Wednesday.
An update on Iguodala’s status will be provided after surgery. The 39-yearold has played in only eight games this season because of injury management. He’s regularly listed on the team’s injury report with right hip soreness.
“It’s a huge loss, and it comes at a tough time heading down the stretch run,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “So we’ll see what it means rosterwise.”
Iguodala, who made his season debut Jan. 7, has played just 113 minutes this season. He has averaged 2.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 46.7 percent from the field.
Advanced stats reveal Iguodala’s importance to the Warriors beyond pergame averages. Golden State has an offensive rating of 116.7 when Iguodala is on the court, 113.7 when he’s off it. The team’s defensive rating dips from 104.7 to 113.5 with Iguodala off the court.
“Andre has made a big impact since he returned a few weeks ago,” Kerr said. “His on/off numbers are really good. Our defense just gets dramatically better the second he steps on the floor. And then offensively, even though he’s not really a scorer at this point, he just facilitates and understands where everybody needs to be.”
The 2015 NBA Finals MVP contemplated retirement after appearing in only 31 games last season, but he announced on his podcast on Sept. 23 that he would return for his 19th and final campaign. He was persuaded to come back after a conversation with Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ director of sports medicine and performance.
Entering this season, part of Golden State’s plan regarding Iguodala was to identify important stretches of the season when his services were required, and to take a more conservative approach to his usage. The goal was for Iguodala to be healthy and available for a potential playoff run. However, his latest injury puts that objective in jeopardy.
According to Dr. Nirav Pandya, an orthopedic surgeon at UCSF, wrist fractures usually take 6-8 weeks to heal, but that can vary based on the fracture location, pattern, bone quality and the type of fixation used to stabilize the fracture.
If Iguodala is forced to miss the rest of the season, that puts additional pressure on second-year forward Jonathan Kuminga to help anchor the team defensively — especially with Andrew Wiggins still away from the team because of what has been called a “family matter.”
Kuminga, 20, returned from a three-game absence on Wednesday, facing the Clippers after suffering a right ankle sprain last week in Memphis.
Gary Payton II’s coremuscle injury is expected to be re-evaluated next Thursday, so perhaps the Warriors are anticipating defensive reinforcements on that front as well.
Golden State has one available roster spot that could be filled by converting either of its two-way players, Ty Jerome or Anthony Lamb, to a standard NBA contract. Both were inactive against the Clippers, having reached their combined games limit.
The Warriors have until April 9 to decide whether to convert Jerome or Lamb. Kerr hinted earlier in the week that a decision may come soon, and Iguodala’s injury adds another layer to a complicated situation.
“We’ll see how things play out, whether we use the last roster spot on one of our two-way guys or if something else comes up,” Kerr said. “We’ll just move forward.”