Could it be that a Golden State Warriors’ bench player is as important as any starter in the playoffs?
Must a reserve asset step up big and play as pivotal a role as any member of the Warriors’ starting five in this 2014-15 postseason run?
Because, after all, breaking down the value that Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut each brings is easy enough.
Curry is one of the NBA’s elite point guards, the floor general who runs the show, knocks down shots from distance and plays opportunistic defense on the other side of the court.
He leads the league in three-pointers made, free throw percentage, steals and wins above replacement. He also ranks third in player efficiency rating, win shares, true shooting percentage and effective shooting percentage while rating sixth in points and assists per game.
Thompson is the all-star shooting guard, the lethal shooter on the wing who also drives well inside and plays lockdown defense.
He ranks second in three-pointers made, sixth in three-point percentage, 10th in points per game and 11th in free throw percentage. He also occupies a spot in the top 25 in defensive rating and defensive win shares.
Barnes, meanwhile, is the team’s underrated small forward who just recently made a game-winning shot against the Phoenix Suns. He’s averaging a solid 10.1 points and 5.5 rebounds while rating 12th in the NBA in three-point percentage.
Green, for his part, is just starting to shed the label as one of the most under-appreciated players in the entire Association.
The tough-as-nails 6’7” forward/center contributes in every facet of the game and can guard positions two through five. He’s posted 11.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per contest while ranking first in defensive win shares and third in defensive rating.
And Bogut, of course, is the towering 7’0” center. The ornery Aussie stifles would-be interior scoring, with the No. 1 defensive box score plus/minus and No. 2 defensive rating as statistical corroboration.
One must not also forget the vital role Bogut plays on offense. He orchestrates the flow from the high post with screens and deft pocket passes, ranking sixth among centers with 2.7 assists per game.
OK, but what about the Warriors’ reserves?
Which bench asset is most important among the likes of Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, David Lee, Marreese Speights, Leandro Barbosa and Festus Ezeli?
Let’s review.
Iguodala has compiled the most minutes, steals and win shares while also handling point guard duties, locking down the opposition’s best wing players and serving as the team’s sixth man. Livingston, though, helps run the offense in Curry’s stead as well and leads Golden State backups in assists.
Lee, for his part, has amassed 8.0 points and 5.3 rebounds and earned a second-leading player efficiency rating. Then again, frontline teammate Speights leads this unit with 10.5 points, an 84.1 free throw percentage and PER of 19.8.
Furthermore, Barbosa paces this contingent with a 39.3 three-point percentage, with Ezeli doing the same with a 53.5 percent rate from the floor. The former also provides an explosive element off the bench while the latter affords Bogut some much-needed rest and is improving his overall game as a second-year big man.
During the postseason, however, starters traditionally log heavy minutes. Some of the reserves that suited up in the regular year will barely play while only a few will see significant action.
So as it concerns the Warriors, which one will receive the most playing time and how must he contribute when on the floor?
Considering how much their starters score and that nearly every potential opponent is a top-10 scoring juggernaut, the Dubs will need a defensive asset. They’ll need a lockdown defender who can simultaneously give their best player a breather and supply some offensive punch in a pinch.
There’s really only one player who can do that for Golden State.
And he goes by “A12,” “Dolla Billz,” “@mindofAI9” or just plain “Iggy.”
Regardless of whether he wins the actual Sixth Man of the Year or not, Iguodala must materialize as that very asset for the Warriors in the postseason. He must become the Sixth Man of the Playoffs for the best team in the NBA.
He must spell Curry and run the floor efficiently when called upon, while using his still-explosive talent on breakaway dunks off his patented defensive mastery.
Iggy must forget last year’s shortcomings and this year’s early-season detractors. He must remember how integral he’s been in 2014-15 and explode his way into reserve MVP form.
Whether that be against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Round 1, the Portland Trail Blazers in Round 2, the San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals or, say, the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, Iguodala must step up in the biggest way possible.
Knowing his tactful ways, the respect he commands and his masterful schemes, head coach Steve Kerr will surely put him in position to do so throughout the Warriors’ championship run.
Motive, means and opportunity—time to kill those enemies on the hardwood, No. 9.
All team and players stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
Follow Joey on Twitter @jlevitt16 as he tries to wax eloquent on all things Warriors, NBA, NFL, MLB and the sports world at large.