Sixers Breakdown: Dissecting an Iguodala Dunk - 2/7/2011

By Adam Flango

Andre Iguodala makes it look easy. He anticipates every player’s path and sees an opening in the lane before it even exists. He moves with a combination of quickness and power that scares off challengers. He effortlessly skies in the air long enough for the crowd to take a collective breath before exhaling with excitement and cheers for the rim-rattling dunk.

Over his seven seasons in the NBA, Iguodala has established himself as one of the league's premier dunkers. This year, he has tallied 59 dunks in only 35 games, the most by a guard this season and eleventh most overall.

But what might seem like a product of one man's sheer athletic ability is actually an organized, strategic team effort. Here we break down what goes into an Iguodala dunk and illustrate some different ways he gets to the rim to throw it down.

This dunk from January 19’s meeting with the Orlando Magic was set up by an excellent screen from Lou Williams and the perimeter threat from Evan Turner. The play begins by Iguodala dribbling off a screen from Williams, and as a result of the solid screen, Williams' defender, 6-0 point guard Jameer Nelson, is forced to guard the 6-6 Iguodala, giving Iguodala a significant size advantage. If Williams does not set a good screen, then Iguodala's original defender, 6-8 Brandon Bass, would be able to get through it and Iguodala likely would not have been able to muscle past him.

When Iguodala has the smaller Nelson guarding him, he knows he wants to score. He dishes the ball out to Turner to establish position on Nelson and quickly receives the pass back from Turner. Turner then slides to the top of the key to space out the floor and give Iguodala room to operate. Jason Richardson is caught between Iguodala and Turner, unable to help the overmatched Nelson because that would leave Turner, a capable three point shooter, wide open.

Without help, Nelson is no match for the bigger, stronger Iguodala, who spins to the baseline and attacks the rim before the Orlando defense can rotate. Two points, Sixers.

The next dunk is from January 20's game against the Charlotte Bobcats. This alley-oop may seem like a spontaneous connection between Jrue Holiday and Iguodala, but if you look closely, the play is the result of a calculated attack. The play is not called by anyone on the floor, but rather by Doug Collins, who notices a weakness in the defense and wants to quickly exploit it.

As Holiday brings the ball up, you can see Collins (at the top-right) motioning to his men. Evan Turner quickly clears out to the other side of the court to eventually make room for Iguodala to spring through the lane. At the same time, Thaddeus Young jogs down to the block where he is in position to set an effective screen for Iguodala.

Notice that at this point the Sixers have an apparent lack of urgency. To use a poker term, they are slow-playing their hand. They know that a big play is ripe for the taking, but they do not want to lose their chance by moving too quickly.

Young then moves to the high post to set a screen for Iguodala, and Holiday's eyes immediately look to Iguodala. Iguodala runs off the screen and Boris Diaw, who is guarding Young, is supposed to switch and guard Iguodala. If Diaw is able to switch to Iguodala, the play is dead. But Holiday sees that Diaw is slow to switch, knows that Iguodala is ready for takeoff, and hits him with the perfect pass for the alley-oop dunk. Collins does an exceptional job in noticing a weakness and the players respond well by selling the normal offense while executing the designed big play to perfection.

The last dunk we'll look at is from a December 14 game against the New Jersey Nets. Iguodala brings the ball up, moves it to the trailing Spencer Hawes, and begins to switch to the other side of the floor. Iguodala then makes a quick cut to get open for the pass. The intended play seems to be for Elton Brand to move off Jrue Holiday’s screen and set himself up with solid post position. Iguodala would then give Brand the entry pass to set up the score.

But as Iguodala makes the hard cut, the defending Travis Outlaw slips slightly, enough for Iguodala to take advantage. Iguodala notices and darts to the basket with no hesitation while Outlaw is not quick enough to catch up.

Brand sees Iguodala's opportunity developing and, instead of continuing to his intended low post spot, stays in the paint so as to not clog Iguodala's path to the hoop. Iguodala delivers a momentum-shifting reverse.

An Andre Iguodala dunk is an athletic combination of power and grace, often aided by a well designed play or a teammate's quick recognition.

Though sometimes, Iguodala just does it himself.