Warriors forward Andre Iguodala is set to return for Monday’s contest against the Memphis Grizzlies after being sidelined the past seven weeks. Iguodala has been dealing with back hip and knee issues this season, but wasn’t listed on Monday’s injury report.
Meanwhile, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Otto Porter Jr. are out for the second leg of the back-to-back following Sunday’s loss to the Washington Wizards. Gary Payton II (right knee soreness) is questionable while two-way guard Quinndary Weatherspoon is out with left ankle soreness. Once again, the Warriors will be short-handed, but Iguodala’s return should provide a big nice boost for the squad.
There’s a bit of history between Iguodala and the Grizzlies. Iguodala didn’t play a game for Memphis after the Warriors traded him to the Grizzlies following the 2019 season. The young Grizzlies went 34-39 during that campaign, which was also Ja Morant’s rookie season. Memphis eventually traded Iguodala to the Miami Heat at the deadline, where he helped the franchise reach the 2020 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals.
At the time of his trade, Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks told reporters, “First time I seen him was on TV talking about us. It doesn't even matter. Andre Iguodala is a great player. I feel like he's doing the right thing for his career, but we don't really care.”
Iguodala played at Memphis earlier this season, going scoreless with three rebounds and two assists in 21 minutes. After that clunker, he might have some extra motivation to perform well Monday. The Grizzlies are the West’s No. 2 seed and have gone 17-2 while Ja Morant has been out this season and the superstar is out Monday with a knee injury.
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Iguodala, 38, has only played in 26 of the Warriors’ 75 games this season. He played for six minutes on Feb. 7 but has been hurting since Steve Kerr admitted he played Iguodala too many minutes (31) on Jan. 20.
Iguodala is averaging 4.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game but his impact goes beyond the numbers. Klay told reporters Sunday what makes Iguodala so special.
“He’s so smart,” Thompson said. “He’s always in the right position defensively. Offensively, he does the same thing like on the defensive end, making the right plays and knocking down clutch, clutch shots and just being Andre Iguodala -- a Finals MVP and a guy who’s been so valuable to this franchise. I’m just very excited he’s coming back.”
