Denver Nuggets: Franchise players in each NBA Team – NBA Feature Part 7
Denver Nuggets – Andre Iguodala
Had I been asked to make a decision about the best player at Denver Nuggets last week, the one who would carry the offensively lethal franchise into the future, my vote would have been split in favour of 5 ft 9 in guard Ty Lawson
and under-achieving yet very talented centre JaVale McGee.
Ask me now, and that person will be Andre Iguodala for sure.
The wing player was part of a blockbuster 4 way deal which landed Dwight Howard into the Los Angeles Lakers and Andrew Bynum to the Philadelphia 76ers, Iguodala’s former team.
Iguodala was hand down the best player on the Sixers team, winning the All-Star and Olympic berth last season, but he was never able to break out of the defense first - grinding mould of Doug Collins.
His arrival at the Nuggets changes the dynamics, both for him and his new team.
Coached by George Karl, the Nuggets were the highest scoring team last season and second in the assists per game.
The Denver offense is quick, likes to run, and completely fits the unselfish playing methods of Iguodala. The player averaged 5.5 assists per game during the last regular season and being a near 40 percent career three point shooter,
he can also benefit a lot from the increased space available.
At the Phillies, he was more of a main offensive weapon – Lou Williams only broke out in the last season – and the oppositions knew who to defend in crunch situations. With Denver having so many offensive weapons up their arsenal,
Iguodala’s effectiveness as three point man increases, an added perk, given his ability to cut down the lane effectively.
Iguodala however will not be the only one benefitting from the change of scenery.
The Nuggets are no doubt an offensive juggernaut but when it comes to defending, they are nearly as bad as the Charlotte Bobcats – second worst in the league in terms of points allowed last season.
With him being one of the best defenders in the league at the moment, Iguodala’s injection into the lineup can spark up his team mates to put in extra on the D and cover the only glaring weakness in their team.
Whether that will be enough to make the Nuggs a title contender is difficult to say just yet, but it is a fact that even without AI, they gave the Lakers a major scare in the first round of last postseason. With him around, they
will make life tougher in the already difficult Western Conference.
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