The Maturation of Andre Iguodala to NBA Finals MVP

Last night, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 105-97 in Game 6 to win their first NBA Championship in 40 years. The Warriors would have not won the series if it wasn’t for league MVP Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala.

Yes, Andre Iguodala, the 11-year veteran out of Arizona, took his game to take the next level as he had the toughest task of any player in the NBA Finals. He was asked to defend the greatest player in the world, LeBron James. Iguodala did a fantastic job on James despite him still scoring 40 points and recording a triple-double. But where Iguodala surprised people the most was with his offense.

In the NBA Finals, Iguodala averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists in 37.1 minutes per game. He also became the turning point in the NBA Finals when Warriors head coach Steve Kerr inserted him into the starting lineup in Game 4. That game, Iguodala scored 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and shot 4 of 9 from the field. The Warriors went on to win 103-82. Then in Game 6, Iguodala sealed the Finals MVP by scoring 25 points and hitting timely baskets when his team needed it.

But who knew the forward from Arizona would be NBA Finals MVP? As a 21-year-old with the Sixers, Iguodala only averaged 9.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.0 assists while playing next to one of the best little men to play in the NBA in Allen Iverson.

The Sixers would eventually move on from Iverson in 2006 and turn the team over to Iguodala. In the 2006-07 season, Iguodala averaged 18.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 40.3 minutes per game. Then in the 2007-08 season, he took his game to another level as he averaged 19.9 points per game, leading the Sixers to the playoffs.

The next season, Iguodala’s points per game went down to 18.8. But his rebounds and assists per game went up to 5.7 and 5.3 respectively. The Sixers made the playoffs once again, facing Dwight Howard the Orlando Magic in the first round. Iguodala made his presence felt and hit the game winning shot in Game 1 to give the Sixers a 1-0 series lead.

A few seasons later, Iguodala made an impact in the first round of 2012 NBA Playoffs against the Chicago Bulls. With seven seconds left in Game 6 and the Sixers down 78-77, he knocked down two clutch free throws to send Philadelphia to the second round of the NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics.

Then in the summer of 2012, the Sixers parted ways with Iguodala as they included him in a four team-trade with the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Orlando Magic. The Sixers sent Iggy to the Nuggets, while they got big man Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson. Bynum never flourished in Philadelphia.

In his only season in Denver, Iguodala averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in 34.7 minutes per game under head coach George Karl. Iguodala’s free throw percentage dropped to 57.4 percent in his only season in Denver. In a strange coincidence, the Nuggets were eliminated in six games by the Golden State Warriors.

That summer, Iguodala was sent to the Golden State Warriors in a three-team trade. In 2013, the Warriors were coached by Mark Jackson but also had Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Iguodala was now on a team where he did not have to be the first option and instead could just be a role player.

Iguodala’s understanding of his role didn’t happen until this season when Steve Kerr came in to replace Jackson. Everyone on the Warriors understood their role and played it well. Iguodala played a huge role into the Warriors’ success these playoffs as he had a .731 two-point field goal and a .966 three-point field goal percentage that he assisted on.

We will never put Iguodala in the same lore as the top players in the NBA, but something has to be said for a player who we’ve seen develop over his career from a rookie, an all-star, a goal medalist in the 2012 Summer Olympics to now a 2015 NBA Finals MVP.