* Tonight on ABC: Game 2, Warriors vs. Raptors (8 ET)

TORONTO — We now know there’s a job equal to guarding peak LeBron James in the NBA Finals, and we know this because the player who did that is now older, creakier and assigned to defend the successor to LeBron in the current NBA Finals.

Andre Iguodala is suddenly an unlikely candidate for Most Important Player in a series the Raptors lead 1-0. The Warriors are bracing for a strong Game 2 response from Kawhi Leonard, who by his own postseason standards played meekly in the series opener.

It is Iguodala who represents the front line of defense for Kawhi, it is Iguodala who isn’t completely healthy, and it is Iguodala who is now 35 and not quite the same force who made LeBron work the last four Junes and earned Finals MVP honors mostly for that defense in 2015.

With the Warriors preparing to play yet another game without Kevin Durant, there’s a burden and a large responsibility placed on Iguodala, whose minutes and production must rise.

He wouldn’t be in this position with a healthy Durant. In that scenario, Durant would play nearly 40 minutes and draw a good portion of the Kawhi assignment and Iguodala would come off the bench. Things changed. And Durant isn’t returning from his strained calf until Game 3, if that. And the Warriors are fearful of falling behind 2-0 and allowing the Raptors to take momentum to Oakland.

Which means they could use a bit of 2015 from Iguodala.

“I’m older,” Iguodala said, with a grin. “But I hope everything else is up to par.”

Examining the biggest adjustments necessary for Golden State in Game 2.

He anticipates what everyone anticipates: Kawhi turning up a notch in Game 2 by attacking more. Kawhi might need to, unless Pascal Siakam is headed for another 32-point, 14-for-17 shooting game (perhaps unlikely) or the Warriors keep giving Marc Gasol a ton of open looks (also unlikely).

In the absence of those repeat performances, it’ll be up to Kawhi to develop a more aggressive mentality -- similar to the one he kept in the first three playoff rounds when he bulldozed through Orlando, Philly and Milwaukee -- to help the Raptors seize control of this series.

The Warriors, based on their Game 1 strategy, have decided to prevent Kawhi from beating them. Which means the task of guarding him will be done largely by committee and with as many different looks as possible. It will be done with a combination of players with toughness (Draymond Green), 1-on-1 tenacity (Klay Thompson) and length (Iguodala).

“He’s a special player who has shown what he’s capable of doing if given the opportunity,” said Iguodala. “He’s been able to do damage from the perimeter, get to the basket, shoot the ball at a high clip.

“He has all the tricks to keep you guessing and try to throw you off balance. You’re not going to stop players like that, but make him spend as much energy as possible.”

Here's what to expect during Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

When Kawhi stares at the double-teams, the one constant face will belong to Iguodala, and it has been a strange trip for the 15-year veteran. Iguodala is a self-made defender, one who grew into that role gradually after spending his first seven seasons as a primary scorer with the Sixers.

As he became older and wiser, his impact spread; Iguodala developed his passing and rebounding instincts, both above-average for a small forward, to balance his scoring. Once he joined the Warriors, his scoring average dropped almost every season, to the point where Iguodala, who once averaged 19.9 points in a season, is an almost reluctant shooter who only takes aim when absolutely necessary.

His defense became his trademark and, because of his ability to defend multiple positions, the Warriors assigned him to the other team’s biggest challenge. Coach Steve Kerr often singles out Iguodala as the smartest player on the team.

And Iguodala's watershed moment came during the 2015 Finals, when he was inserted into the starting lineup and held LeBron below 40-percent shooting, critical to the Warriors’ first title under Kerr.

Iguodala, it seemed, could defend anyone except Father Time, and this season he averaged just 23 minutes a night partly because Kerr was fearful of putting more mileage than necessary on Iguodala’s limbs. This was the correct strategy, because during these playoffs, Iguodala regained his bounce and compensated for the loss of Durant by playing smart defense on James Harden and then providing help on Damian Lillard.