Iguodala Named to NBA All-Defensive Team
Andre Iguodala was named to the second team of the NBA all-defensive team. While it seems to go with the message that the Sixers are constantly putting out in the media about him, I really wonder where his reputation as a great defensive player comes from.
I’ll admit that the stats I found made a better case for Iguodala than I thought they would – as a shooting guard. I understand that is the position in which he’s officially, but just from watching him play I think most people view him as a small forward.
Iguodala’s defensive stats seem ok. For the season he averaged 1.5 steals and 0.57 blocks per game. But that’s 109th in the league for blocks, and would be 20th for small forwards per espn.com. They list him as a shooting guard, which actually puts him fifth. He’s 4th in steals as a shooting guard, but would be 39th as a small forward. His 5.8 rebounds per game put him 3rd in the league as a shooting guard, and would actually tie him for 7th as a small forward.
If you want to view Iguodala as a shooting guard, knock yourself out. His 44.5% shooting puts him 39th in the league. He’s 60th from 3-point land at 33.7% shooting.
Much like his position on the court, evaluating his defensive presence might be more of a gut feel than something statistics explain.
I just don’t think anyone would really view him as a “stopper.” It’s not like Iguodala is put on the other team’s best scorer in a big game and routinely shuts him down. To be fair, no one is going to routinely shut down an NBA scorer for a game, but for a guy that is supposed to be known for defense it’s difficult to recall when he’s ever really done it.
It’s a slow Tuesday, and I certainly don’t mean to make a big deal about the second team NBA all-defensive squad. In fact, I may have now given it more thought than the voters do.
I’ll admit that the stats I found made a better case for Iguodala than I thought they would – as a shooting guard. I understand that is the position in which he’s officially, but just from watching him play I think most people view him as a small forward.
Iguodala’s defensive stats seem ok. For the season he averaged 1.5 steals and 0.57 blocks per game. But that’s 109th in the league for blocks, and would be 20th for small forwards per espn.com. They list him as a shooting guard, which actually puts him fifth. He’s 4th in steals as a shooting guard, but would be 39th as a small forward. His 5.8 rebounds per game put him 3rd in the league as a shooting guard, and would actually tie him for 7th as a small forward.
If you want to view Iguodala as a shooting guard, knock yourself out. His 44.5% shooting puts him 39th in the league. He’s 60th from 3-point land at 33.7% shooting.
Much like his position on the court, evaluating his defensive presence might be more of a gut feel than something statistics explain.
I just don’t think anyone would really view him as a “stopper.” It’s not like Iguodala is put on the other team’s best scorer in a big game and routinely shuts him down. To be fair, no one is going to routinely shut down an NBA scorer for a game, but for a guy that is supposed to be known for defense it’s difficult to recall when he’s ever really done it.
It’s a slow Tuesday, and I certainly don’t mean to make a big deal about the second team NBA all-defensive squad. In fact, I may have now given it more thought than the voters do.
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