The Miami Heat lost on Sunday to the Portland Trail Blazers, but that’s not what should pay attention to.
It’s all about new acquisition Andre Iguodala, who made his debut in a Heat uniform after he was traded from the Memphis Grizzlies and signed to an extension.
The man hasn’t played in an NBA game since Game 6 of the 2019 NBA finals, but you wouldn’t know it in the 23 minutes he played. If this was Iguodala at his rustiest and still rounding into basketball shape, then the Heat should be extremely happy.
He was a plus-10 on the night, started off with a steal right away that was, I guess, credited as a block:
He also made this play with his wingspan:
That’s all you want out of Iguodala. Forget the offense (he hit one shot all night). The Heat will love having that kind of defense in tight playoff games. They have plenty of offense elsewhere up and down the lineup.
An aside — this is also a good place to give a shoutout to Jae Crowder, who they also acquired in the deal — he hit 5-of-8 from distance and picked up the slack on a down night for Kendrick Nunn.
Back to Iguodala, who Erik Spoelstra was gushing over in terms of his conditioning before the contest (via ESPN):
“We’ll find out. The guy’s a freak. Six percent body fat, and he’s been off that kind of time? He looks incredible. That’s not basketball shape — we get it. So how do you get somebody in basketball shape? You play him in a basketball game, and you start that process. We didn’t bring him here just to hang out.”
It’s almost unfair. The Heat get a player who’s taken what Iguodala compared to “a sabbatical,” with no wear-and-tear, who’s stayed in shape and who has a very specific role with Miami. Another genius Pat Riley heist.
