The Miami Heat landed Andre Iguodala midseason as apart of a trade with the Grizzlies. They needed everything he brought with him from Memphis.
The Miami Heat landed Andre Iguodala midseason as apart of the deal that landed them Solomon Hill and Jae Crowder as well. Sending back Justise Winslow to the Grizz, a player that hadn’t seemed to be able to stay on the floor much for Miami this season, they must’ve thought they would be getting depth and the two-way ability Winslow could provide along the wings and as a facilitator across the three players.
Little did they know, they would be getting much more than they sent back. Winslow is a good player and if healthy, could have provided a more top-end punch than either of the three acquire players individually but collectively, they were a fleece and a godsend for Miami.
While Hill ended up being quality depth in a pinch for the Miami Heat, Jae Crowder proceeded to become one of the Heat’s and league’s best shooters from deep across his time in Miami exclusively. When it came to Andre Iguodala though, he was his usual dependable and stable self.
Where Iggy isn’t the same athletic dynamo that he used to be, the controlled and in control version of Iguodala that shows up now has just as much value to his team, if not more. That was on full display during the Miami Heat’s playoff run.
The Miami Heat landed Andre Iguodala in a trade midseason. He was crucial to everything they were able to do beyond that.
He played a major role as a defender, as a ball-handler, as a creator of offense, and simply as an all-around playmaker. That could be in the traditional sense, getting a hand in to cause a big deflection, or simply allowing his wit and knowledge of the game lead him to make one of those big auxiliary plays, such as a deflection type offensive rebound for a second shot attempt.
He wasn’t lights out by any means offensively, something I like to attribute to his lack of actually playing until being traded to Miami, but he still made big shots when the Heat needed on most occasions. Here is Iggy’s grade.
A
You don’t give him the “A+” because the offensive rhythm, or lack thereof at times, was something that the Heat could have definitely used. As mentioned though, he still could make a play to score, but it was the everything else on the floor that he did which really helped to solidify his grade.
Here is his superlative.
Most Likely To Not Play All Season But To Have A Huge Role Within The Rotation Of A Team Hunting A Title
Iggy was a required piece in order for the Miami Heat to do what they did this season. Many of us thought that the extension to his deal was to sweeten it as a potential trade piece this offseason, but his play down the stretch did all but assure us that he will be back.
Andre Iguodala isn’t the guy that you play for 30 minutes every night during the regular season anymore, but he is the guy that gives you 20-28 minutes during every game of your playoff run. That’s his value.
This though has been his season recap, grade, and superlative.