Getty/Maddie Malhotra Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors celebrates against the Boston Celtics.
Andre Iguodala has seen it all in the NBA. Now in his 18th season, the former Arizona Wildcat helped the Warriors win three titles over the years. While still in his prime, Iguodala took on a sixth man role when he joined the Warriors, and won Finals MVP in 2015. Now in his twilight of his career, Iguodala hopes to instill his experience and wisdom on the next generation of Warriors.
Iguodala has taken third year guard Jordan Poole under his wing, and has helped him transition into a bench role. Once Klay Thompson returned back to the starting lineup, Poole has hard to adjust to a bench role with the team.
In 34 games as a starter, Poole averaged 18.4 points on 35% shooting from three. As a reserve in 13 games, his averages fell to 12.6 points and 32% shooting behind the arc.
While speaking to the media on Thursday, Iguodala offered some nuance as to how Poole can continue to improve in his game.
“He’ll have his man two or three times per touch. You know, you only need to beat your man one time in this league. You beat your man one time and you’ll have the advantage. But he’ll beat his man once then bring it back, beat him again then bring it back, beat him again – and then it’s, like, you just used six or seven seconds.”
In terms of how Poole can improve while coming off the bench, Iguodala offered some advice from personal experience.
“Especially coming off the bench. Detlef Schrempf was big at that, you got some guys who always said, ‘I get my rhythm coming off the bench by just getting to the foul line.’ Because just three or four team fouls for the opposing teams and you’re closer to the penalty. So he’s thinking about that.”
These things may sound minor in details, but it can change the outcomes of how games turn out. Some players excel when they are given a role they can thrive at, but players that last in the league are able to adapt to different roles as the team dynamics change.
Steve Kerr Sends Message to Warriors Guard
As Iguodala talked about ways for Poole to thrive in his new reserve role, head coach Steve Kerr offers similar sentiments with how the young guard could help the team off the bench. Head coach Steve Kerr spoke with Tim Kawakami of the Athletic about what the Michigan product could do to take his game to the next level.
“We want him to be ultra-aggressive, we want him to score off the bench. Can we help him do it more efficiently? Can we help him do it with a little less dribbling? Can we get him to recognize maybe can we get into our offense first, move the defense around and then attack? And this is advanced-level stuff, and that’s the next stage for him.”
As it goes with younger players, there will be growing pains, especially coming off the bench. Over the last month, Poole has had several games where he’s scored less than seven points. As a reserve, these games are bound to happen, but with the right approach and adjustments, Poole should be able to thrive in his new role, as he gets more reps as a sixth man.
If Poole can even duplicate just 60-75% of his production that he had as a starter, the Warriors will undoubtedly be a tough team to stop. Even during the years when the Warriors were unstoppable, their offensive production from the bench would lack at times. Poole is a capable player who can score like a microwave, and that would add a different dimension to this years’ title contenders.