Andre Iguodala knows what it’s like to be a high-profile sixth man.
During the Warriors’ championship run in 2014-15, Iguodala appeared in 77 regular season games with no starts before winning the Finals MVP. Naturally, he’s become a key mentor for Jordan Poole, who is ascending to new heights in his third season with Golden State.
After starting the initial 28 games of the season, Poole has been adjusting to a bench role with the reintegration of Klay Thompson. After giving an update on his hip/knee injuries Thursday, Iguodala told reporters Poole is becoming a better student of the game.
“I think before he was hearing the information,” Iguodala said. “There’s a difference between listening and hearing. I think when he and I have conversations, he’s listening, because he’s starting to understand that I don’t have anything to gain from the information that I’m giving him. It’s only for him.”
Sometimes, Iguodala said Poole just needs to simplify his approach.
“He’ll have his man two or three times per touch,” Iguodala said. “You know, you only need to beat your man one time in this league. You beat your man one time and you’ll have the advantage. But he’ll beat his man once then bring it back, beat him again then bring it back, beat him again – and then it’s, like, you just used six or seven seconds. Just headshot, get ‘em out of there – is the wordplay I use with him.”
Poole delivered a late dagger in Tuesday's memorable win against the San Antonio Spurs, when he knocked down a corner three after missing an earlier attempt on the possession.
Poole is averaging 16.9 points in 29.2 minutes per game this season while leading the NBA with his 91.8 percent clip from the free-throw line. Iguodala said Poole is starting to recognize that he can change the course of the game by being an attacking force off the bench, even if it doesn’t lead to clean field goal attempts.
“He’s getting smarter at knowing when we’re in the penalty,” Iguodala said. “Knowing when to be in attack. Chris Paul has been amazing at that. You know, there’s five minutes left in the second or fourth quarter and he’ll just rip through [defenders arms]. JP’s finding his gamesmanship getting to the line when we’re in the penalty.
“Especially coming off the bench. Detlef Schrempf was big at that, you got some guys who always said, ‘I get my rhythm coming off the bench by just getting to the foul line.’ Because just three or four team fouls for the opposing teams and you’re closer to the penalty. So he’s thinking about that.”
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The ability to score will always be in Poole’s bag, but Iguodala said the 22-year-old is growing in other ways. Poole’s 3.4 assists per game are more than 50 percent higher than the 2.2 per game he averaged through his first two seasons.
“He’s a guy that always had the work ethic,” Iguodala said. “He always worked hard, he was always in the gym. I think now, he’s just widened his lens. When he was playing basketball he had that tunnel vision and it was just him and the basket. Now you’re seeing him make some great plays for other people, which is opening up the game more for himself. The lens has just gotten a little wider and that’s with experience. That’s with maturity and he’s doing both of those things well.”
