NBA Top 50: Andre Iguodala (No. 49)

FanHouse's Tom Ziller argues his ranking of the top 50 players in the NBA.

A few weeks ago, Andre Iguodala signed what will be the second largest post-rookie contract from the draft class of 2004, behind only elite center Dwight Howard. Is Iguodala the second best player from the class? No, you'll see a few others higher on the list than 'Dre.

But Iguodala's still a damn fine player. Until the Allen Iverson trade midway through 2006-07, 'Dre boasted a highly efficient shooting clip, including a top 10 finish in True Shooting percentage in 2005-06. Iguodala isn't much of a shooter, taking threes ineffectively and infrequently. Instead he relies on elite athleticism. With it, he can exploit defenses off the dribble, getting to the rack regularly against inferior opponents/systems and often finding himself in space to create against tougher cookies. Iguodala also has a little bit of Gerald Wallace in him, in that he can slip away off the ball and get open for an Andre Miller dish.

Still A.I. left, Iguodala's shooting has suffered. The primary cause, you'll find, is that 'Dre has been forced into an alpha role on offense that doesn't fit him. Philadelphia has to score, and most of the team's rotation is bad at scoring efficiently or creating shots -- and none beyond Iguodala can do both. (Willie Green can do neither.) A certain high-usage power forward should help allow Iguodala to slide back into his offensive comfort zone.

Maybe Iguodala's best offensive attribute is his playmaking ability from the swing positions. Philadelphia last season grossly ignored the three. No team had a lower threes per FGA rate. (That's probably a good thing, considering Miller and Green made up the starting backcourt.) As such, Iguodala isn't really getting assists off simple penetrate-and-kick plays. He's putting the ball in a place where teammates can make an immediate play for a high-percentage shot.

Consider Chris Paul. When he drives the lane and delivers a ball to Peja Stojakovic in the corner, it's a good play -- a 40% chance at three points. When he drives and delivers a ball to Tyson Chandler above the rim, it's a great play -- a 90% chance for two. Iguodala, by both team necessity and personal skillset, has done more of the latter. Few swingmen drop more assists as it is; the fashion Iguodala earns his dimes bolsters his value to the Philly offense.

Let's not ignore the other sides of Iguodala's game, though. 'Dre is a solid defensive rebounder at small forward, and will be a great one when/if he moves to two-guard as Thaddeus Young develops. (Philly has the makings of an excellent rebounding team, with Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert up front and Iguodala and Young manning the wings.) Few wings collect as many steals per possession as Iguodala; he manages to get them without gambling too much, which is important. 'Dre isn't the absolute best man or team defender, but he's damn close. His ability to both play the passing lanes and stay in front his guy is a credit to his effort and instincts, the two most important factors in a wing player's D.

So let's see ... a potential 20-point, high efficiency scorer who adds four or five assists, solid rebounding and great defense. Pretty nice player, yeah? His contract may draw derision because of its size in the face of more modest deals for his '04 brethren, but it shouldn't. Iguodala will live up to his billing and make Philadelphia a very happy city.