Steve Kerr is right: Andre Iguodala is having a great season for Warriors

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Today is "Boogie Day" and that's all anybody cares about right now. But let's take a couple of minutes and give Andre Iguodala the respect that he deserves.

The Warriors opened their 2018 preseason slate with a 114-110 win over the Timberwolves.

Early in the second quarter that night, I made the following declaration:

Why did I feel compelled to do that? Because ever since Iguodala joined the Warriors in the summer of 2013, Golden State fans have repeatedly complained about his "lack of production." 

During the 2012-13 regular season with Denver, Iguodala averaged 13.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists, while shooting 45.1 percent overall and 31.7 percent from deep.

In the first round of the playoffs against the Warriors, he was phenomenal to the tune of 18.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.0 steals, while shooting 50 percent from the field and over 48 percent from deep.

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Because of this, Warriors fans assumed he was going to put up huge numbers on a nightly basis. The expectations were too high because the basic box score doesn't encapsulate Iguodala's true value.

Then Iguodala was moved to the bench when Steve Kerr was hired, and fans simply didn't believe his production matched his annual salary. The non-believers were dealt a big blow in June 2015 when Iguodala was named NBA Finals MVP.

During Kevin Durant's first season in Golden State, Iguodala paced himself over the Warriors' first 52 games -- averaging 6.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. He ramped things up in mid-February, registering 10.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.8 blocks on a ridiculous 59 percent from the floor (not a typo). 

He saved his best for last when he scored 20 points in the title-clinching Game 5 win over Cleveland.

It appeared Iguodala's time in the Bay Area had a real chance of coming to an end when he was a free agent that summer, but the two sides ended up coming to terms on a 3-year, $48 million contract.

He's worth every penny.

Last season -- outside of a 13-game stretch just after the All-Star break -- the 2012 All-Star basically coasted. People thought he didn't have much left in the tank and considered the Warriors crazy to give him $48 million fully guaranteed. 

Wrong.

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From Game 2 of the opening round vs. San Antonio through Game 3 vs. Houston, he averaged 8.3 points (49.3 percent overall, 34.5 percent from beyond the arc), 4.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals.

After he sustained a "spider fracture" in his left knee during the fourth quarter of Game 3 vs the Rockets, the Warriors nearly fell apart. Finally, it seemed like people fully understood just how important he was to everything the Warriors do.

This season, Iguodala has a new perspective. He had a great summer of training and preparation and is playing with joy night in and night out. He's been more open with the media and has provided some great quotes.

He's shooting 47 percent overall and over 35 percent from deep. He scored 23 points vs the Lakers on Christmas Day. He chipped in 13 points, five rebounds and four assists vs New Orleans on Wednesday night.

After contributing 15 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block at Milwaukee on Dec. 7, he reminded everybody of something:

This is all in addition to the "little stuff" he does -- perfect rotations on defense, making the right/extra pass, deflecting a pass that would have led to an open shot for the opposition, etc. 

Iguodala will turn 35 years old on Jan. 28. He's a terrific leader and a very important voice in the locker room. If you don't appreciate him by now, at least his head coach does.

"Andre just is a professional. He takes unbelievable care of himself -- his diet, his exercise, his treatment. I think one of the probably untold stories this year -- here I am telling the media what they should write about -- Andre is having a helluva year," Kerr told reporters on Wednesday night. "He's having a phenomenal year. It doesn't always show up in the box score with Andre because he's not a big scorer. But night after night, he is making a dramatic impact.

"And I wouldn't have said that a year ago. I thought last year he had a slow regular season. We knew he was sort of saving it for the playoffs and he was great in the playoffs. But I think he's been awesome the entire first half of the season."

Duh.

Drew Shiller is the co-host of Warriors Outsiders. Follow him on Twitter @DrewShiller

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