Round 2, Pick 9: Andre Iguodala, SG/SF, Philadelphia 76ers

Andre Iguodala has not taken that next step up the NBA ladder. Possessing freakish athleticism and a complete toolbox of skill, “Iggy” has the chops to be a perennial All-Star. A steady performer in the fantasy game, he lacks the big-game potential to garner a higher draft pick. However, with Kobe Bryant picked to lead this squad in round one, a do-everything stat-stuffer in the second round will fit in just fine.

Here are the numbers and league ranks for Iguodala from last season.

Field Goal Percentage: 0.473 (50th)
Free Throw Percentage: 0.724 (did not significantly rank)
Three-pointers made: 80 (90th)
Points: 18.8 (27th)
Rebounds: 5.7 (46th)
Assists: 5.3 (19th)
Steals: 1.6 (10th)
Blocks: 0.44 (76th)
Turnovers: 2.71 (17th)

Kobe and Iggy can dish dimes like fantasy point guards. Sure, Jason Kidd is out there, and will best any player still available in the mock draft, however, Iguodala can match Kidd in steals, obviously scores more, and though he does not hit the boards as much as Kidd, Iguodala’s production is more than adequate for a guard. He finished with a lower FT% than anyone would like, and he racks up the turnovers, but every player has warts. Iggy is not a notoriously bad shooter from the line, and should be able to hit about 78% of his shots this upcoming season.

Unfortunately, a lot of questions surround the Philadelphia 76ers this year, and this makes it difficult to make pinpoint estimates on his fantasy potential this year:

Will Elton Brand make it back from injury?

With Andre Miller out of town, will Iggy inherit some of the assists he left behind?

Will Lou Williams complement the rest of the starting unit?

Is Sam Dalembert finished?

Can Thaddeus Young find enough shots for himself assuming the above questions end up in the positive for Philly fans?

If Brand, Williams and Young all return and each average more points than they did last year, it could sink Iggy’s scoring average into the 15-16 PPG range. On the other hand, he remains the best bet to lead the team in points and therefore might crack the 20 PPG barrier. Lou Williams is more of a scorer, so unless the Sixers bring in more point guard help, Iguodala should run the team quite a bit more this year.

P.S. Iggy, I still think you were robbed of the slam dunk title a few years back. That behind-the-glass-jump-underneath-past-the-net-to-dunk-in-front-of-the-basket jam is one of the best of all time!