Even if you have been following the Sixers with a microscope over the first 52 games of the season, there’s probably a member of the team that you’ve been overlooking. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that he’s around. It’s easy to take him for granted. He’s Andre Iguodala, and he’s been so amazingly consistent on a team defined by its up and down season that many make the mistake of ignoring what the Sixers have in the second year player.

He’s stalking the NBA like a lion, just waiting for his moment to pounce. Except, instead of hiding behind tall grass and brush, Iguodala’s concealed by the long shadows of two established superstars. In a time when so many players are looking to make a name for themselves, to get on the evening news, and to secure endorsement deals with their talk instead of their play, Iguodala is staying quiet.

“At some point, it’s not about harnessing Iguodala’s skills as much as it’s about unleashing them,” wrote Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Steven A. Smith. “He’s the X factor this season.”

When the Sixers switched head coaches over the summer and brought in Maurice Cheeks to lead the team, he recognized Iguodala’s possible stardom.

Iguodala has developed a reputation around the league as a defensive stopper Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty

“We talked about reaching another level,” Cheeks said. “He’s our best perimeter defender. The reason we have so many deflections on the defensive end is because of him. He anchors our defense. All the things he does on the defensive end are the reason why we can be as good as we can be on the defensive end.”

Iguodala took his conversations with Cheeks as a challenge, a challenge that he embraced.

“He says that a lot, actually, just letting me know, “You’ve got to be more of a threat, you’re not just a guy who runs to the basket,’” said Iguodala on Oct. 11, just after the team finished training camp. “That’s what I’ve been wanting to hear since I’ve been in the league. Being able to just do a lot of different things and showcase my talent and be a versatile player... It was similar last year, but it’s now just given me a leadership role, something that I’m embracing.”

Iguodala has, at times this season, shown glimpses of the star that he is becoming. He scored a career high 26 points twice, both times against the Toronto Raptors (who happen to be the team that had the eighth choice in the 2004 draft and passed on Iguodala). He has shown poise late in games, connecting on two last second put-backs in Sixers wins against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the San Antonio Spurs. He has even developed an outside shot, which was the biggest criticism of his game last season, and is connecting on 39.5 percent of his three pointers on the season. He has been a lock-down defender and is constantly matched up against the opposing team’s best offensive player.

On Nov. 11 the Los Angeles Lakers were led into Philadelphia by Kobe Bryant. With Iguodala blanketing Bryant all over the floor, Bryant shot 0-7 in the first quarter and finished 7-27 with only 17 points in an 85-81 Sixers victory.

After the game, Iguodala’s teammates were singing his praises in the locker room.

"I've said it [before], if he's not one of the best defenders in the league, I don't know who is," said Kyle Korver. "He has unbelievable balance and got a lot stronger over the summer. He wants to be a defender. A lot of guys have the tools to be a defender; he has the tools and the heart."

Iguodala has enjoyed dunking over some of the league's best over the past year and a half Chris Hampson/NBAE/Getty

Even on a team with the highest scoring duo in the NBA in Allen Iverson and Chris Webber, Iguodala has found a way to increase his field goal percentage (.493 to .510), points per game (9.0 to 11.9), and rebounds per game (5.7 to 5.9) from his rookie season.

Perhaps the loudest thing about Iguodala is his ability to light up arenas around the NBA with his high-flying dunks. And even though he has been selected to participate in the 2006 Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest during the NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston, there’s a feeling that there’s still more there.

If you truly watch Iguodala play, you get the sense that he’s doing all of this in preparation for something bigger. Every time he grabs a defensive rebound he turns to run full speed up the floor, just hoping that there's somebody running with him. Every time he sees somebody coming over to try to stop a dunk his face lights up at the chance of "posterizing" some of the league's best. He's learning with every passing day and is still showing everybody that he will be a player to be marveled at in the future.

“I think once I’m 100 percent confident in my game and just playing freely out there then I see the possibility, and I see that it’s coming soon,” stated Iguodala after the Sixers defeated the Spurs on Feb. 15. “I’m just trying to learn everything, just get myself started in this league. Once I’m 100 percent confident and I’m just floating around and just playing freely then it’ll happen.”

Iguodala's confidence has been building ever since he was selected by the Sixers with the ninth pick in the 2004 NBA draft.

“As you all know we drafted Andre Igoudala at the ninth pick," said Sixers President and General Manager Billy King the night that Iguodala was selected. "He is someone we really wanted with his athletic ability. I think his shooting is good and will improve but he can play one two and three. He is someone that we really coveted. The big thing that I think really excited me is that he really wanted to play here. Throughout the draft his agent was calling and said ‘Can you try to get up to get him?’ Then his agent called and said ‘I think he is going to be there will you take him?’ I said if he is there we will because he is someone that we really really wanted.”

The Sixers selected Iguodala ninth overall in the 2004 NBA Draft Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty

Iguodala was selected after his sophomore year at the University of Arizona, and was eager to put forth the effort needed to help the team.

“I think I just came in, and my main thing was just to work hard and try to get some minutes, period,” said Iguodala. Iguodala’s defensive prowess and athletic ability won him the starting spot over Glenn Robinson, who had a career scoring average around 20 points and was a proven veteran.

“I came in and wasn’t expected to start at all,” Iguodala said. “This wasn’t really a goal because I didn’t set it. I just wanted to come in and get as many minutes as possible and help the team win.”

He finished his first season as the only Sixer to start all 82 games. He stuffed the stat sheets by averaging 9.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.68 steals per game in his rookie campaign.

His strong rookie year led to off-season expectations to raise his game and begin to mature into the player that everybody hopes he can be. He was touted as a future all-star with the sky being his limit.

“That kid is very skilled. Just look at him. It’s scary how good he can be,” said Milwaukee Bucks general manager Larry Harris.

He's raised the level of his game this season and even though he may pounce every once in a while, he has yet to assert himself as the king of the court. He's soft spoken, he's intelligent, he’s methodical, and he’s still hiding among the grass, waiting for his time to roar.

"When my time comes to be the main scorer on the team, I'll be ready for that role. Just right now, it's not."