Denver Nuggets: Five former players that would have helped this team
By Dean Hasan
2. Andre Iguodala (2012-13)
Andre Iguodala played one season for the Nuggets before making the move to Golden State, but during his time with the team, he was highly effective in a starting wing role. Given his 2012-13 averages of 13.0 points, 5.4 assists, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per contest, he’d offer the present-day Nuggets some powerful two-way prowess, additional playmaking, and some rather extensive playoff experience (41 games following his season with Denver) even at that point in his career.
Iguodala’s play could aid an already fluid offense, but his main impact would come from his perimeter defense. Opponents currently shoot just 34.6 percent from three against the Nuggets, a mark that lands them at eighth in the league. Meanwhile, they’re also ninth and 10th in deflections and steals with 15.7 and 8.1 per game, respectively.
On the perimeter, the Nuggets already feature two defensive dogs in Torrey Craig and Gary Harris, who absolutely hound ball-handlers at every turn. Adding Iguodala to that mix would only make them more suffocating for opposing guards and wings.
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He also provides some nice flexibility given that he could either take over the sixth-man role or slot into the starting lineup. With the former option, he’d take over the reins for the second unit’s offense, significantly diminishing the drop-off in production when the bench unit gives the starters a breather.
In the latter scenario, he could sub in for any of Harris, Grant, or Millsap, allowing Denver to effectively optimize their lineups based on the needs of the situation. Combining Harris with Iguodala maximizes the above in terms of defense, meanwhile, an Iguodala-Grant-Millsap trio significantly disrupts passing lanes with their length and provides a blend of inside finishing and outside shooting offensively.