Former Warrior Andre Iguodala sizes up changes: ‘I think Steph’s going to have a big year’
Warriors guard Steph Curry’s long-awaited return to competition is finally here.
Curry is less than a month away from taking the floor with Golden State, but he’ll be back in the national spotlight on Friday when he pairs up with Peyton Manning in a charity golf match. The nationally-televised event begins at 12 p.m. PT at Stone Canyon Golf Club in Arizona and features Curry and Manning against PGA pro Phil Mickelson and former NBA star Charles Barkley.
The match will air on TNT and will be broadcasted by Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Trevor Immelman (color commentary) and Curry’s former Warriors teammate, Andre Iguodala (color commentary).
Like Curry, Iguodala is an avid golfer who knows the ins and outs of the course better than the vast majority of NBA stars, but he’s obviously quite adept at sizing up talent on the basketball court. Despite playing across the country with the Miami Heat, Iguodala still keeps close tabs on his former team and believes Curry is poised for another dominant season.
“I think it was good for them to have that time off,” Iguodala told The Athletic this week. “Going to that many Finals takes a toll on a body, especially what is expected from him. It was good for him to just be able to let the brain settle down from the last five years. I think Steph is in his bag right now in terms of the prep he’s been putting to get ready for the upcoming season.”
Curry has played in just one NBA game since suffering a left-hand injury on Oct. 30, 2019, but is expected to carry a heavy load for Golden State in the upcoming 2020-2021 season. Curry’s ability to return to MVP-caliber form is even more critical for the Warriors after losing fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson to a season-ending Achilles injury.
Upon learning of Thompson’s injury, Warriors owner Joe Lacob and general manager Bob Myers hustled to give the team the best opportunity to be competitive this year with a series of moves that could change the way Golden State plays.
After adding center James Wiseman with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Warriors traded for 24-year-old swingman Kelly Oubre, Jr., who averaged 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game for the Phoenix Suns last season.
With a pair of lower-profile additions in the backcourt in free-agent signees Brad Wanamaker and Kent Bazemore, the Warriors could make significant improvements defensively this season, which intrigues Iguodala.
“They have an interesting team,” Iguodala told The Athletic. “They made some good pickups. I like Oubre (Jr.) a lot. I like the draft pick (Wiseman). Brad Wanamaker I like a lot. I got to play against him in the Eastern Conference finals. I think he’ll thrive in that system, and he is going to be really solid and a calming figure for them.”
With Thompson set to miss the entire season, the key for the Warriors is ensuring they have enough offensive firepower to remain competitive against the top teams in the Western Conference. For scoring, Curry has been, is and will remain their top option.
“I think Steph’s going to have a big year,” Iguodala said.