Getty/Ezra Shaw Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors celebrates with teammate Klay Thompson against the LA Lakers at Chase Center in San Francisco.
It isn’t often players glued to their seats make much of an impact on their teams. When players do not have quantitative numbers to prove their worth on a 15-man roster, they are often marginalized.
Golden State Warriors Andre Iguodala came back to the team this season to play a sizeable role in the rotation. Due to his age and injuries, the Dubs elected to play Iguodala sparingly during the regular season, playing in just 31 of the 82 regular-season games, in hopes of having the 18-year man back in the rotation during the playoffs.
However, things have not worked out that way. While the core of the team is back and playing well in the playoffs, Iguodala has missed the past 12 playoff games. Nevertheless, that has not deterred him from still making an impact, and some coaches see it first-hand.
“He’s had a real tough year because, gosh, we could use him right now,” assistant coach Ron Adams tells the San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s not had that opportunity, but he’s the type of guy who wants to contribute, and I think he really has contributed.”
Iguodala has been in the league for almost two decades. He realizes he may be at the end of his career, so at this point, he has nothing to lose.
“Regardless of whether or not things are going your way,” Iguodala tells the San Francisco Chronicle. “Whether it’s minutes or injuries or situations, you have a responsibility to make sure that you leave the game in a better place, or try to keep it in a good place.”
Players and Coaches Go into Detail on Iguodala’s Impact
Head coach Steve Kerr has been singing praises about the veteran for weeks now. On several occasions, he’s called Iguodala a de facto assistant coach.
“Andre’s been just a huge factor,” Steve Kerr says to the San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s basically an assistant coach, but one who has the ear of the players and the respect that comes from having a phenomenal Hall of Fame career, and being a Finals MVP, Olympic gold medalist, and a guy who’s played against every player on the Mavericks. His wisdom, you can’t really quantify it. So even with his injury, I just feel like Andre has been crucial for us.”
Not only with the young players, but also with the three core guys on the roster, Iguodala has been looked upon for guidance, and as Looney would say the ‘voice of reason.’ During tense moments in games, Iguodala can be seen being vocal and calm with players on the floor.
“He does a great job of settling down not just our young guys, but he’s a guy that Steph and Klay (Thompson) and Draymond (Green) can lean on when they need advice,” Looney tells the San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s been doing a great job of, when things get frantic, being that voice of reason, that voice we need to hear.”
Amount of Veteran Presence Has Dwindled Across the League
Today, only a few teams still employ veterans merely to sit at the end of the bench and provide mentorship for younger players on the team. Udonis Haslem of the Miami Heat is a prime example of this. The LA Lakers had one in Jared Dudley in prior seasons, but the team opted to use his roster spot for a player who was productive on the floor just this past season.
With statistics and analytics playing such a vital part in today’s game, the number of veterans around the league is dwindling. Not too long ago, teams used to have one or two veterans on their rosters, but that is no longer the case.
The average age of the NBA in the past three seasons is 26.1—tied with a singular year in 1982-83. About a decade earlier, that mean was at least 0.5 higher than what it is now because executives today choose to fill the last remaining roster spots with young players rather than players in the twilight of their careers.