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Miami Heat president Pat Riley is ecstatic about having veteran small forward Andre Iguodala in South Beach.
Riley and the Heat acquired the former Finals MVP from the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. The Heat's Hall of Fame architect says Miami is getting an “elite defender” in Iguodala:
“He’s an elite defender, an elite team defender; an elite assist-to-turnover percentage. You don’t lose that in seven months,” Riley said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “Probably a blessing in disguise he didn’t play in seven months. He’s in shape. He’s definitely going to have to get his basketball legs under him. As long as he’s healthy he can play.”
Last season for the Golden State Warriors, Iguodala averaged 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists during the regular season. He shot 50.0 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and 58.2 percent from the free-throw line.
The now 36-year-old swingman put up 9.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the 2019 playoffs, where the Warriors lost to Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors in the NBA Finals in six games.
Iguodala has been training on his own while the Grizzlies tried to find a trade partner. While the pressure was increasing for the Grizzlies to find a trade for Iggy, Pat Riley and the Heat stepped in a day before the trade deadline.
The Heat are one of the best teams in the NBA now, and they have just gotten better after acquiring a stout defender. No team is going to want to face Miami in the playoffs with Riley's crew deploying a frontcourt of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Andre Iguodala.
A former star, Iggy has career NBA averages of 12.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists.
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