Andre Iguodala is one of the most prolific defenders of his generation.
Although he was never able to achieve the sort of individual recognition that many of his similarly-minded peers did, he did earn an NBA Finals MVP award back in 2014 due in no small part to his defense.
Specifically, his defense on then-Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James. With Iguodala on him, James shot just over 38 percent from the field. Without? A significantly higher 44 percent.
This week, Iguodala appeared on The Draymond Green Show and offered some insights into stopping James.
“Like, it’s really not about stopping him because you can’t,” he said.
“It’s about beating him to the spot when he gets there. That starts when [Stephen 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.”
That same defensive tenacity is why Kevin Durant got mad at him when the two played together.
Iguodala’s success as it pertains to D’ing up James speaks for itself. Like he said, it’s impossible to fully stop The King – but he came about as close to doing it as anyone ever has.
More must-reads: