Getty Andre Iguodala and Steph Curry react to a play during the 2017 Western Conference Finals.
Andre Iguodala got to see Steph Curry’s greatness firsthand for six years, playing alongside the Golden State Warriors star as he turned in the first-ever unanimous MVP season and led the team to three titles.
But Iguodala, returning to the Warriors this year after playing the last two seasons with the Miami Heat, said he needed to spend some time away from the organization to truly appreciate Curry’s greatness. Iguodala has the chance to be part of what the Warriors hope will be a rebound season, jumping back into title contention as Klay Thompson is expected to return to the floor for the first time in more than two full years.
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Appreciating Curry’s Greatness
Speaking to NBC Sports Bay Area on the team’s recent media day, Iguodala said it was hard during his six seasons with Golden State to notice all the little things that make Curry and the Warriors so great. Understanding Draymond Green was a bit easier, Iguodala said, since they were “on the same wavelength on defense.” Curry’s greatness was a bit harder to fully understand, he said.
Andre Iguodala is making quite an impression early in Warriors training camp.
“But with somebody like Steph [Curry], I couldn’t really see it because I was so locked in on what I was doing and so locked in on trying to make his life easier,” Iguodala said. “Half the time I couldn’t see the shots and the things he was pulling off. I saw it, but I wasn’t really living in the moment.”
“The last two years I got the opportunity to (recognize) that this dude is really, really good. Also, it was like he was shutting up a lot of naysayers, saying he was by himself and can he be this elite when he’s ‘by himself?’ It was just awesome and wonderful to see.”
Appreciating Curry’s Joy for the Game
Iguodala has grown very close to Curry during their time in Golden State and beyond, with the two sharing a friendship off the court and becoming regular golf partners. In his renewed appreciation for Curry’s influence, Iguodala noted how he’s changed the game in a very positive way. In an appearance on The Breakfast Club, Iguodala said Curr broke from the previous generation of players who saw joy on the court as a sign of weakness.
“But when Steph Curry came through, he started laughing, he started shimmying and he’s shooting half-court,” Iguodala said. “Now you’re seeing this trickle-down effect, you see Trae Young, you see Dame Lillard, you see Luka Doncic. These dudes are shooting step-backs from half-court and everybody goes crazy. Kind of like, you can have joy now, you can laugh and you can play.”
“Wiseman, I’m really excited about… just the force he’s going to be. He can be a game-changer in terms of bringing that big man back.”
Andre Iguodala on James Wiseman 💪
Iguodala is expected to play an important role on the Warriors this season after playing the sixth-man role with the Heat last season, averaging 4.4 points per game. The 37-year-old will now have the chance to play a locker room leadership role in Golden State, helping the new infusion of youth for the Warriors that include a pair of lottery picks — Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody — along with second-year center James Wiseman.
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