After a two-year struggle with injuries and retooling, the Golden State Warriors have re-inserted themselves back at the top of the NBA ladder. A top-ranked defense has seemingly been forgotten due to Stephen Curry breaking three-point records seemingly every other week. Something that Andrew Wiggins has helped make important strides in this season.
His quest for knowledge has taken on a new level as he asked former 2015 NBA Finals MVP, Andre Iguodala for tips on defending LeBron James. Iguodala shared the story on Draymond Green‘s latest episode of “The Draymond Green Show” via NBC Sports Bay Area.
“Wigs was like, ‘Yo, what are some things you like to do when you guard LeBron [James]?’ I was like, ‘Woah! Bro, you got way more ability than me.’ But then I had to like, ‘Oh, OK. This is a good thing.'”
“I gave him some pointers. Like, it’s really not about stopping him because you can’t. It’s about beating him to the spot when he gets there. That starts when Steph Curry shoots. So as soon as Steph shot the ball, I would be looking for LeBron like, ‘All right. Where is he at? At what point attack will he be taking the ball out of bounds?’ That’s the first thing that went on my mind.”
Iguodala was the lead defender on James during the Warriors’ four consecutive NBA Finals appearances against the Cleveland Cavaliers. His defense on James was the main reason he took home the 2015 NBA Finals MVP award.
Wiggins has resurrected his career after coming over in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2020. This season, Golden State will need his defensive prowess with Iguodala near the end of his career and Klay Thompson returning from two significant injuries.
As the Warriors’ primary wing defender, the former No. 1 overall pick looks to continue improving with Iguodala in his ear along the way.
