The 4-time NBA champion Andre Iguodala recently spoke to Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum on his Point Forward podcast. Speaking about his time at the Miami Heat, Iguodala claimed that he learned a lot about defense in general when he was with the Miami Heat. He seemed in awe of the organization, claiming that it was efficient in finding out players’ weaknesses.
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Iguodala talked about the Heat’s guide on Jayson Tatum and claimed that it took inspiration from the NBA GOAT.
“I learned this in Miami, they are so good at finding out your weakness right? “The Jordan Rules is the Tatum Rules, and I have seen them put it together. And they will figure out what your weakness is,” he said, before talking about how much the Heat had researched and studied Tatum’s habits in a bid to come up with plans to stop him.
“I mean they will say after you take three dribbles, we doing this. It’s like that detail…When there is this much time on the shot clock, this is the trigger. At 15, at 7, I am like yo, I learned so much in that organization. What I learned is, when you get to the finals, the amount of 3s you take, isn’t that important anymore,” Iguodala said, before claiming that Tatum needed to focus more on making shots rather than worrying about taking 3s during important Playoff matches.
Considering the Heat famously went on to defeat the Celtics in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals suggests that Iguodala’s appreciation of the Heat is justified. While Tatum had an incredible series himself, his team ended up losing 4-3 after fighting back from 3-0.
Jayson Tatum is one of the biggest threats to the Miami Heat
The Celtics and the Heat have emerged as two of the strongest teams in the East in recent seasons. The fact that Tatum is widely regarded as a generational talent means that stopping him is extremely important to any success the Heat hopes to have.
That, in particular, seems to be the reason so much work has been put in to formulate plans. The two teams face each other 3-4 times during the Regular Season and have faced each other in the Playoffs three times in the last 4 years.
Iguodala himself, during his stay with the Heat from 2020 to 21, saw firsthand the kind of research the franchise has done on Tatum. The player himself will be well-served to know exactly how much effort his rivals are putting in, to contain him.
