The Miami Heat swept the rug from underneath other playoff contenders and snagged veteran Andre Iguodala before the trade deadline, an acquisition some were skeptical about.
Iguodala had missed the entire 2019-20 NBA season working out on his own after a mutual agreement with his former team, the Memphis Grizzlies. But that brought questions about his potential to perform as a 36-year-old coming off months of inactivity.
People within the organization, like team icon Udonis Haslem, believe Iggy will have no issues adapting to the Heat and its culture:
“Probably the easiest it would be with any transition is with a guy like Andre, with a very high basketball IQ,” said Haslem, according to David Wilson of The Miami Herald. “He knows how to win; he knows what winning is about. It takes sacrifices to win, so with a guy like Andre I think that transition will be way easier than with most guys.”
Iguodala's debut was nothing to write home about if looked at by the numbers — yet it was his smarts on the court that made him such a seamless fit for a team devoted to its culture of work ethic and perseverance.
The veteran posted two points in each of his first two games but went to work in his third, railing three triples en route to a nine-point, five-rebound, two-assist contribution against the Utah Jazz.
The Heat won't need Andre Iguodala to fill up the stat sheet, but help a second unit jell and play with the right energy at both ends of the court — something he has mastered during his 16-year NBA career.
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