Golden State Warriors swingman Andre Iguodala will miss at least two more games after sitting out the Warriors' 103-89 victory over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night with right knee tendinitis. The team announced before the game Tuesday that Iguodala would miss at least three games with the injury.
Andre Iguodala injury: Warriors swingman out at least 2 more games with knee tendinitis
The Warriors are hoping Iguodala won’t be out long, as his presence has been a key to the team’s success.
Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sport
The injury doesn't come at the best time for Golden State, who's currently in a fierce battle for playoff seeding in the Western Conference. The Warriors are in the No. 6 spot with a record of 43-26, 1½ games behind the Portland Trail Blazers and 1½ games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks. The eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies are 2½ games behind Golden State.
The Warriors had little trouble dispatching the Magic without Iguodala, and the next game against the Milwaukee Bucks shouldn't be much of a challenge either. But the five games after that feature two against the San Antonio Spurs and one apiece against the Mavs, Grizzlies and New York Knicks. Iguodala is slated to miss the first Spurs game, but then there's five days off before Memphis visits Oracle Arena, so the hope is the extended time will allow the swingman extra rest in order to heal up.
More from our team sites
More from our team sites
If the injury turns out to be more serious, there could be some problems. While Iguodala’s averages of 9.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists aren’t impressive, his mere presence in the lineup has been a boon for Golden State.
When Iguodala has been on the floor this season, the Warriors have put up 109.4 points per 100 possessions and given up just 96.2 points per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com’s stats page. When Iguodala is on the bench, the Warriors have scored just 98.8 points per 100 possessions and given up 103.3 points per 100 possessions. His 13.1 net rating is by far the best on the team for regular rotation players.
Going even further, the Warriors' main starting lineup featuring Iguodala, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, David Lee and Andrew Bogut is outscoring opponents by 15.2 points per 100 possessions this season, per NBA.com's stats page. That mark is the best of the NBA's 39 most-used lineups.
Iguodala missed 12 games earlier in the season with a hamstring injury, and Golden State went just 5-7 during that span. The Warriors’ defense took a huge hit with Iguodala out of the lineup, giving up 105.0 points per 100 possessions in the 12 games, per NBA.com’s stats page.
The bottom line is Golden State needs Iguodala in order to make a deep playoff run. The Warriors might still get in the playoffs if he misses significant time, but it’s unlikely they make it far if he’s not around for them.
See More:
